A friendship worth millions or how MP Kopytin got a brand new cruiser

Imagine that in a country that is defending itself against an aggressor, there are people who rent or buy spare parts for one of the key industries for defense from citizens of this aggressor country... It's hard, but this will be a story about trade in blood, about promoting enemy interests in Ukrainian defense and even under the guise of people's deputies. The story is about the field of helicopter repair in particular and aviation equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in general. This topic has already been raised by journalists from "StopCor". But we, working with the materials, found some more facts. Our material will consist of several parts and will describe the essence of the crimes in which People's Deputy Igor Kopytin is involved.

Starring: People's Deputies, Ukrainian businessman, foreigners under sanctions, and contracts with sanctioned firms.

The facts presented in this material should never have happened, but they are part of our reality. We believe that we can publicize this confusing story in order to stop the arbitrariness and launch investigation processes not by journalists, but by силових structures.

A car accident that drew attention to the deputy

In August 2024, when the car used by the people's deputy was involved in an accident, the whole country, together with the journalists of "Ukrainian Pravda", wondered where he got the "driver" from, who allegedly works in the Main Intelligence Directorate, where he got the new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado from, and why the car's license plates are cover plates. Here will be the answer to these questions.

So, we looked at the activities of Igor Kopytin, who in a new car, which does not fit into the official income of the people's deputy, had an accident near Bila Tserkva.

If you are interested in what the people's deputy, member of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Igor Kopytin was doing in the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, it turns out that he and another deputy, also a member of the same committee, Fedor Venislavsky, put pressure on the State Aviation Service. If we assume that Fedor Venislavsky was misled, then Igor Kopytin himself was well aware of what he was doing and what sanctioned characters were behind the activities of the companies whose interests he was lobbying.

At a time when the occupiers were threatening Kyiv, and the defense forces of Ukraine were resisting the encirclement of the capital and only beginning to push back the enemy, two people's deputies were writing letters to the Head of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Bilchuk. They demanded support for LLC "NZOPEREISHINS" - let's remember this name. Two people's deputies insisted on a positive solution to the issue of urgent registration of two helicopters: Mi-171 and Mi-171E. And they achieved this registration. Letters from two people's deputies, even from the profile security committee of the Verkhovna Rada, worked.

Despite the lack of legal grounds, as a result of pressure, the helicopters were entered into the State Register of Civil Aircraft of Ukraine on March 20 and March 28, 2022, respectively.

The editorial office has documents and statements that indicate that Igor Kopytin acted in the interests of one "aviator in the third generation." This explains the origin of his wealth.

And who is this aviator in the third generation?

Meet him. A close friend of Igor Kopytin. Mileshko Roman Viktorovych - owner and co-owner of a group of companies in the aviation industry.

The group of companies that belong directly to or are controlled by the person we are interested in include:

- LLC "NZOPEREISHINS" (the same one in support of which the people's deputies wrote letters);

- LLC NVP "MS AVIA-GRADE";

- PrJSC "Aviacompany Konstanta";

- LLC "INKOMPAS";

- LLC "KSENA";

- Company in the free zone - "EXPEDITION AVIATION (FZC)" United Arab Emirates.

And by a "strange coincidence," some of these companies are now fulfilling most of the state orders related to the repair of aviation, including military aviation. That is, Igor Kopytin, having become a member of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, after the start of the full-scale invasion and close cooperation with the Main Intelligence Directorate, actively uses the status of people's deputy and promotes the interests of his friend Roman Mileshko.

Roman Mileshko continues the family tradition. Their dynasty has been in the aviation business for decades. The "aviator in the second generation", that is, Roman's father, Viktor Stefanovych Mileshko, took an active part in the political activities of Russia and held high positions in the aviation industry of the aggressor country. He headed the international public movement "Slavic enclave of the united world", was the deputy head of the permanent mission of the so-called Government of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as part of Russia, was the deputy general director of the aviation company "Sukhoi", the head of the program at the joint-stock company "Scientific and Production Aviation Corporation "IRKUT" - a Russian aircraft manufacturing corporation headquartered in Moscow (according to information from the register of court decisions).

Of course, it can be said that children are not responsible for the actions of their parents, if not for the facts that we have exposed.

A friend of my friend is my friend? Or is it still: Russians are not our friends?

Interesting characters, these aviators in several generations. The Mileshko family's involvement in aviation for decades, as well as the fact of living in Crimea, explains Roman Viktorovych's connections with some Russian businessmen.

We were interested, in particular, in the connections with the Palchik family - also natives of Crimea, who have an extensive network of enterprises engaged in the supply of aviation and, in particular, helicopter equipment, spare parts and aggregates, are the owners of the companies "LINKER (FZE)" and "AMIS (FZE)" registered in the United Arab Emirates.

And we were interested because, according to Executive Order of the President of the United States of April 15, 2021 No. 1424 (sanctions program), sanctions have been imposed against LINKER (FZE) as a company that participates in the export of critical technologies and equipment for the Russian military-industrial complex.

In the State Register of Civil Aircraft of Ukraine, posted on the website of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine, we find at least three operations that are worth paying attention to:

- LLC "NZOPEREISHINS", the beneficial owner of which is Roman Mileshko, leases a Mi-17-1V helicopter, state and registration mark UR-HZD, which belongs to the company "LINKER (FZE)";

- PrJSC "Aviacompany Konstanta", the beneficial owner of which is Roman Mileshko, leases an An-74T-100 aircraft, state and registration mark UR-UZN, which belongs to the company "AMIS (FZE)".

- In 2023, the company "Expedition Aviation FZC", which is also controlled by Mileshko, purchased a Mi-17-1V helicopter from the company "AMIS (FZE)", which then leased it to LLC "NZOPEREISHINS".

Once again, the owner of the company "LINKER (FZE)" according to the company registration certificate is a citizen of Russia - Palchik V.K. This citizen of the aggressor country is the wife of another citizen of the aggressor country, Palchik O.I. According to a letter from a state body of the Republic of Peru, Palchik O.I. is the owner and legal representative of the company AMIS (FZE).

In addition, the beneficial participation of Oleksiy Ivanovych Palchik is registered in the Russian enterprises "Helistar", "Technograd", "Navikas", "Avasiti".

If we take into account that the companies AMIS (FZE) and LINKER (FZE) are associated with Russian citizens who benefit from a number of Russian enterprises that pay taxes and fees to the budget of the aggressor country, then Roman Mileshko, whose companies directly or indirectly belong to him or are controlled by him, by paying rent, buying aircraft during the war, finances the military-industrial complex of the aggressor country.

Yes, in simple words, a friend of the people's deputy rents and buys from Russians. And not just something, but aircraft. Multiplies his profits and is still not on the sanctions list.

Georgian or Russian trace again?

As for the helicopters that were urgently entered into the State Register of Civil Aircraft of Ukraine on March 20 and 28, 2022, the owner of one aircraft is the company "AVIASERVICE LLC". The operator is LLC "NZOPEREISHINS" - we mentioned this company in the list as one where the beneficial owner is Roman Mileshko.

But the owners of the company "AVIASERVICE LLC" are also interesting characters and deserve special attention.

Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the "Georgian Dream" party, which allegedly won all elections in Georgia. He is also often called a "close ally of Putin." He transferred seven helicopters to the operation of Roman Mileshko's companies, as well as managers under his control to manage foreign airlines, the co-founders of which are Roman Mileshko.

Roman Mileshko was a co-founder of "AERO EXPEDITION" - 49%, "EXPEDITION AVIATION" - 70%.

The director of "AVIASERVICE LLC" is Aleko Tkemaladze, who is also the co-founder of "AERO EXPEDITION". The director of "AERO EXPEDITION" is Georgiy Chirgadze, who is the director of "EXPEDITION AVIATION".

The airline LLC "NZOPEREISHINS" operated seven helicopters that previously belonged to the airline "AVIASERVICE LLC", which was owned by Bidzina Ivanishvili through LLC "Aero Rotor Holding" and the Cypriot offshore "Vanity Overseas Limited".

Roman Mileshko's company "EXPEDITION AVIATION" was an intermediary in the provision of Mi-8 helicopters between the customer - the French military authorities and the operators: the Russian company "PANH" and the Georgian company "AVIASERVICE LLC".

Thus, the group of companies of citizen Roman Mileshko conducts financial and trade operations with representatives of the Georgian government, who are closely connected with Russian business and against whom sanctions were imposed by the Decree of the President of Ukraine of December 5, 2024 No. 816/2024.

What connects Igor Kopytin and Roman Mileshko?

How did we find this suspicious tandem of people's deputy Igor Kopytin and a Ukrainian businessman who openly trades with Russians and Georgians-"Putin's friends" during the war? There is evidence of close business and friendly relations between the Mileshko and Kopytin families.

Roman Mileshko and Igor Kopytin's brother, Volodymyr Kopytin, studied at the same time at the Kharkiv Institute of Air Force Pilots of Ukraine.

In addition, Roman Mileshko worked and received income at an enterprise owned by Igor Kopytin and members of his family - LLC "ROTOR UKRAINE".

Also, the assistant to the people's deputy - Khilkevych V.V. worked as a manager at Roman Mileshko's enterprise - at PrJSC "Aviacompany Konstanta". The authorized person of the candidate for people's deputies Igor Kopytin in the 2019 elections - Kazantsev Volodymyr Olegovych worked as an official with the right to sign at the company LLC "INKOMPAS" at the time when Roman Mileshko was its co-owner. And also Kazantsev V.O. lived in the same village with Roman Mileshko - ARC, Saky district, Novofedorivka.

Little money is no problem, when there are many friends

After the start of the full-scale invasion, people's deputy Igor Kopytin had enormous opportunities. And he uses them not only to register the aircraft of his businessman friend.

If we assume that the friendship between Igor Kopytin and Roman Mileshko has already led to the purchase of a car, and then it came to an accident in which the driver and the people's deputy miraculously survived, then the pressure on the state in the interests of this friendship has already led to much worse consequences.

How Soviet and Russian spare parts ended up on Ukrainian helicopters

During the meeting on February 08, 2024 at the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine on the issue of further operation of aircraft and their components developed and/or manufactured by the former USSR and the CIS, a representative of the Security Service of Ukraine informed Roman Mileshko, who represented the interests of LLC "NZOPEREISHINS" as the owner, about the facts of purchase and installation on helicopters of units manufactured and repaired at enterprises of the military-industrial complex of the aggressor country, the year of manufacture or repair of which is dated after the date of the full-scale invasion. In particular, these are SGS-40 generators manufactured by the Chkalov Novosibirsk Plant Joint Stock Company, with a repair date of April 2022, engines, tail shaft, KAU-30B power steering repair by OSKAR AVIA LLC, delivery February 2022, rudders, repair by the Moscow Machine-Building Plant "Vpered" in April 2022, rudder blades of the Moscow Machine-Building Plant, manufactured in April 2022, rudder blades repaired by the National Helicopter Center Mil and Kamov Joint Stock Company in February 2023, main gearbox VR-14, repair May 2023 by the Reduktor PM Joint Stock Company, and others.

For some, war is grief, and for others, it is money

Roman Mileshko's companies, which directly or indirectly belong to him or are controlled by him, with the help of Igor Kopytin, began to receive orders for repairs, retrofitting and maintenance of various types of aircraft. In fact, most of the state orders in this area ended up in companies from the mentioned list.

In the third year of the full-scale invasion, we have a situation where the mentioned firms have many contracts, and state giants such as PJSC "Motor Sich" or SE "Konotop Aircraft Repair Plant "Aviakon" have almost none left.

There is another giant - JSC "ANTONOV". But there, Yevhen Gavrylov, one of the former heads of PrJSC "Aviacompany "Konstanta" and LLC "KSENA" - they are from the same list controlled by Roman Mileshko, who works with companies of the aggressor country, was appointed director.

We are talking about the monopolization of the aircraft repair industry of Ukraine by enterprises from the group of companies of Roman Mileshko. Does this threaten national security? Will the friendship between Roman Mileshko and Igor Kopytin begin to negatively affect the aviation industry of Ukraine?

Is our state interested in enriching one businessman and another people's deputy, when at the same time state strategic enterprises are idle and incur losses?

Is it normal that companies that have virtually monopolized one of the defense industries work with the aggressor country and allow themselves to inflate the cost of services compared to state giants? Under the guise of patriotic slogans, they strike a blow at Ukraine's defense capabilities.

We hope that everything stated will encourage the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine to ask questions, find answers to them and take actions in accordance with Ukrainian legislation.