Crimean businessman kidnapped, family suspects Russian agents involved

Crimean businessman Serhiy Tkachenko was reported on July
8 to have been kidnapped in Kyiv on July 1, which his family suspects was done
by Russian agents, the liga.net news site reported. Tkachenko was the major
shareholder in the Southern ship-repair plant in Sevastopol, a stake he
estimated to be worth USD 150 mln, before Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea
in 2014. He has since been in litigation with the Russian government to recover
his property. In March, Tkachenko was arrested in absentia by a Russian court,
which demanded his detainment for two months or extradition. Prosecutors
accused him of participation in a criminal organization and theft in a
particularly large scale from another investment, the Unified Grain Company in
2012-2013.

Prior to the annexation, Tkachenko lived in Kyiv and
flew regularly to Sevastopol to work. He opposed the annexation and refused to
take Russian citizenship, prompting the Russians to confiscate his property and
include him in the database of those prohibited entry. In June, Tkachenko’s
lawyers filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine
regarding the illegal activity of its prosecutors and the National Police of
Ukraine, which Tkachenko alleged “participate in executing the illegal
investigative orders” of the Russian Interior Ministry.

Tkachenko was ambushed at a Kyiv hair salon on July 1,
handcuffed and driven away in a gray car. Those arresting him identified
themselves as “federals,” the news report said. His wife said she receives
threats by phone. The National Police has opened a criminal case for
kidnapping, adding that it has yet to be confirmed that he has left the
country.

Zenon Zawada: It’s a poor reflection on Ukrainian law enforcement that it could not
protect a prominent businessman, loyal to the Ukrainian state, from kidnapping
by Russian agents. It’s also disturbing that Tkachenko suspected Ukrainian
prosecutors and police of fulfilling Russian orders. This event will have a
negative impact on how the Zelensky administration is perceived in resisting
Russian aggression and protecting those Crimean and Donbas residents and
entrepreneurs loyal to Ukraine.