Oleh Kiper has been the head of Odesa region for almost a year: about changing his wife's citizenship, private declaration and life under rockets in an exclusive interview

On May 31, 2023, Oleh Kiper became the head of the Odesa Regional (Military) Administration. Seconded from the Kyiv Prosecutor's Office, Kiper jokingly said that running the country's largest region during the war was more of a punishment than a promotion. But almost a year later, he talks about his new life and professional experience, criticism and dreams in an exclusive interview with UNN.

At the end of May, it will be a year since you have been the head of the Odesa RMA. How do you evaluate  this year?

I consider this year to be a difficult one. Odesa region is constantly  under fire, the enemy keeps Odesa region in tension to create discomfort for our people. From time to time, we hear statements from the leaders of the aggressor state that Odesa is like a "Russian city" and someone is waiting for them here, but I assure you that no one is waiting for them here. All this is done to sow panic and chaos. This is one of the tools of hybrid warfare and they will not hesitate to use anything.

What is the air defense situation in the region?

The situation with air defense has improved significantly  thanks to the efforts  of our President,  who is constantly concerned about this problem in all regions. I cannot say that the situation is stable today, but it has improved. Recently, a lot of ballistic missiles have been shot down thanks to the system that was sent to Odesa. But you can see that there is constant mixed shelling, both with shahids and missiles. But we are not sitting still either.

ODESA POWER SYSTEM WILL TAKE YEARS TO RESTORE

Regarding the situation in the power system: how long will it take  to restore the infrastructure?

The situation with electricity supply is not easy. If we assume that tomorrow we win and the war is over, it will probably take years, not months, and not even tens of millions.

The grain corridor is functioning despite the enemy's persistent attempts to destroy the port infrastructure. At the same time, the dynamics demonstrate an increase in volume. Can we cautiously say that Ukraine retains its status as the world's breadwinner?

Yes, and this is confirmed not only by us, but also by our partners. At our last meeting with US senators and congressmen, they confirmed this. They see the conditions in which our farmers work, the conditions in which our logistics and port companies operate - they were surprised how we manage to do it all. Given the fact that we cannot store anything in warehouses, everything works, as they say, on wheels,   they do not understand how such processes can take place and admire our people. All partners are interested in Ukraine remaining the world's breadwinner . More than 70 countries need this, and for us it is also economic growth. By feeding the world, we cover our own needs, including those of our defenders.

Prior to your appointment as head of the RMA, you worked for a long time  in law enforcement, went into business after lustration, and then returned  to the Kyiv Prosecutor's Office. You had no experience in administrative power, how did you adapt?

It took me a while to realize what I was doing, where I was going, and what I was going with. All the issues are not new to me, but in law enforcement I saw them from a different angle. At the same time, I had to deal with the team, because by law, all deputies are dismissed after  the appointment of a new head of the RMA. It took up to two months to organize the work, and I even lost 8 kg during this time, because I had no time to eat or sleep.  My main task is to administer, to make decisions, sometimes unpopular but necessary, such as Order No. 19, which blocked the possibility of exporting agricultural products purchased with cash to avoid paying taxes.

Speaking of trust, you inherited many heads  of departments and offices at RMA. How long was the period of getting to know them and trusting them or distrusting them? Because many were fired by you immediately, for example, the scandalous and  unchanged for many years head of the medical department Natalia Odariy-Zakharieva, who actually sold the regional oncology dispensary to businessmen.

I won't mention any names now. I looked at the work and, with a few exceptions, almost no one was fired immediately. I watched their results. I have requirements for work, and everyone who met them remained in their positions.

As for personal moments, in your first interviews you said that when Zelensky offered you to head Odesa region, you joked that it was a punishment. Have you changed your mind now? And where  is it more interesting - in the Kyiv Prosecutor's Office  or in the Odesa RMA

There is no comparison here. Both jobs are interesting. As for the prosecutor's office, it's a narrower specialty, you have two books on your desk - the Criminal Code and the  Criminal  Procedure Code - and you live within this framework. You communicate, you understand all prosecutors, and if you have worked in the system for more than 20 years, you know them personally, you understand what they breathe and what they can do, what areas they can block.

Regional administration is a completely different area, much broader. I believe that when a person is born, we are already here, and when a person dies, we are still with them. Therefore, you are responsible for everything, and, of course, this is a much wider range of work, there is a much larger flow of information, and you need to delve deeper. For me personally, this is a new line of work and, of course, it is interesting, very interesting, positive, and extensive. At the moment, the regional administration communicates very closely with the military, so it is a huge amount of work. Sometimes a day is not enough to study the issue and make a decision. And it has to be the right decision, because you have people, families, the whole region behind you, and every day you have to make these decisions with a fresh mind. This is the most difficult thing.

You have already mentioned your "revolutionary" decree No. 19, for which you were widely criticized. Your opponents predicted a drop in exports, accusing you of blocking the export of Ukrainian grain. How has the situation changed since then? What are the results?

Before signing this "revolutionary" order, as you said, we gathered all the business, we gathered all the associations, we gathered law enforcement, port authorities, and we discussed a lot about how to strengthen legal business. When this order was signed, there was no corridor at all, neither grain nor other, because in July last year, the Russians unilaterally withdrew from the grain agreement and there was a logistics problem. We signed the order when our President ordered the military to ensure that vessels could enter and exit the ports of Greater Odesa in order to create conditions for the operation of our enterprises, our business, and our economy. The order was just signed to  settle grain issues, we signed this order with the military command. At first, there were questions, there was a misunderstanding. Large companies asked: "Why is this? We have been working openly and honestly before." I communicated with them and  explained  personally that this was not a question for them, but for the "black" grain producers. What were the consequences  ? Non-return of revenue, taxes, personal income tax, and so on. This caused the state considerable losses. We wanted to resolve this issue,  and today I can say that we have succeeded. If we look at the increase in the return of foreign currency earnings to Ukraine, since the beginning of the order  it was 15 billion, and now we have already  reached the figure of 50 billion hryvnias. These figures, in particular, support the country's exchange rate.

How do you filter agricultural companies?

A bona fide and law-abiding company should at least have a workforce at the enterprise as evidence that these facilities are working. A company cannot have only one director or accountant registered, and yet export millions of tons. Someone has to grow it somewhere. There must be a large number of associated facilities to harvest this grain, store it somewhere, protect it, and deliver it. When the order came into effect, foreign exchange earnings returned. Many companies have moved away from the so-called "Form 2", where everything was done in cash, and refused to do so. The figures I have given you show that although the order is revolutionary, it is effective and  necessary in these difficult times for the country.

Today we can state that the decision is correct, but how did you withstand the barrage of criticism since the beginning of the order?

A prosecutor can be good only for his family, but otherwise his task is to keep order. I am used to it. I am immune and resistant to any criticism if I am confident in my decision. Today, the fight against illicit grain is positively evaluated by honest large companies and international partners. In general, I would like law enforcement agencies to join the fight against systemic schemes of looting the treasury, the Verkhovna Rada to make decisions at the level of laws,  then we would not have to do it locally with military orders.

Currently, the public demand for spending budget funds is very sensitive. Not everyone understands that, by and large, the regional administration cannot influence the representatives of the communities elected by the people who are the money managers. But this does not prevent us from looking for those responsible at the oblast level...

I prefer a rational approach. There are urgent needs, such as schools,  medicine, logistics, and life support, and then there are secondary needs:  flowerbeds, fountains - everything that can wait for victory. If there is an imbalance, we use our levers of influence on the communities. We have a working group that monitors all community tenders on a regular basis, and we have saved and returned more than UAH 500 million to the budget.

I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS JOY - KIPER ABOUT THE POST OF PROSECUTOR GENERAL

Once again, some media and telegram channels are "wooing" you for the Prosecutor General. Have you received any proposals from the President?

And once again, I repeat that Andrey Yevgenyevich Kostin  is the current Prosecutor General, and as far as I know, there have been no statements about his dismissal. Therefore, all these news are rumors and fabrications of people who have nothing to do. This joy brings me nothing but losses. Every time I am "appointed" Prosecutor General, all sorts of nonsense appears in the press.

 That is, you have not received any offers?

No.

"MY WIFE HAS ONLY UKRAINIAN CITIZENSHIP"

Do you mean that they mention your wife's Russian citizenship? The question is still relevant?

Question  has long been closed. On March 25, 2022, when Kyiv was almost surrounded, Irina received Ukrainian citizenship, and after that, a passport and an identification code. She was indeed born in the Russian Federation, and her father was born in Ukraine. She has been living in Ukraine since 2009 and gave birth to our daughter, who is also a Ukrainian citizen. She has gone through all the procedures provided by the state for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship,  sent all the declarations and documents on renunciation of Russian citizenship. But we don't know how the aggressor country is considering them now and what decisions it is making, if any, because she has no contacts with the Russians and will not have any. I admit that she may still be in the registers of the Russian Federation, but neither she nor the state of Ukraine can influence this.

"THE DECLARATION IS CLOSED BECAUSE I AM A MOBILIZED OFFICER OF THE ARMED FORCES"

Why are your declarations closed?

I am a mobilized officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the declarations of all military personnel are closed for today.

So you filed a declaration and the NACP closed it?

Yes, of course I did. It is available to the NACP, and as soon as the conditions change, it will be opened publicly.

In the most difficult conditions of force majeure, our people continue their business activities. And we see the enthusiasm of Odesa, which suffers from daily shelling, but still has new restaurants, shops, and brands. What is the situation with business in Odesa region and how do you plan to promote business development and return  investments to your region? Or maybe there are already some programs that were launched during your term?

If we don't interfere with our business, it will find a lot of things to do on its own. We need to learn from them.  First of all,  I would like to thank the business for their enthusiasm and patience. They are united and listen to us - I felt it during the last power outage in particular - they meet us halfway and help us. Secondly, this is a completely different business than  it was before the war. Not in terms of numbers, but in terms of attitude. Today, no one thinks about super-profits, everyone wants to save what they have and help. Businesses often come to me offering to help the military and ask me to be an intermediary to make sure that this help is targeted and really needed. And not only businesses, communities also offer help to the military through subventions.

"I THINK IT WILL BE DIFFICULT, BUT EVERYTHING WILL RECOVER"

With what wish or dream do you wake up and go to sleep every day?

The children... I want them to forget about  this war as a bad dream. I want to see their smiles, their joy, not their constant movement from class to bomb shelter and back. Both children and adults - we all live in a certain fear today, under constant shelling, especially in Odesa and the frontline regions. And when you feel it yourself, you just want people to have  peace. We will rebuild and restore everything else. If we manage to launch such grain corridors during  the war, we plan to increase them, work under fire, try to reform something in medicine and the social sphere. I think  it will be difficult, but everything will recover. I would like  our people to have peace, when they have peace, when their children sleep not in bomb shelters, cars and parking lots, but when they sleep in their own beds, rooms - then parents will have a different attitude to work, an attitude to work will be different, and of course, there will be much more results from this.