Categories: INVESTIGATIONS

The owner of a Russian oil terminal will begin gas extraction near Poltava

Recently, a major article was published in «Mirror of the week» about how representatives of the Russian gas giant Gazprom are entering Ukrainian gas fields. This is happening brazenly and almost openly, without local government permits for development.

It turns out that those who plan to gain control over the fields in the frontline zone not only have ties to the Russian gas monopoly, which Putin has long turned into a weapon, but also have oil assets in Russia itself. They had worked on occupied territories before the large-scale war and are now apparently fueling Russian tanks that are heading towards the very fields where these “businessmen” have already started operating.

Borislav Bereza investigatres.

Here is the background: Active gas exploration in the Poltava region was initiated by the company TOV “Burova Kompaniya “Horizonty”.

At first glance, it appears to be linked to the Kozytsky family, known in Western Ukraine for their significant interests in the gas market.

One of the family members, Maksym Kozytskyi, has headed the Lviv Regional Administration since 2020.

However, this business is not solely the Kozytskiy’s. Another company involved is TOV “Horizonty”, which acquired a special permit for the Zhukivka area in 2021 for a nominal 90 million UAH. It turns out that the Kozytskiy are only minority shareholders in this company, with 80% owned by Czech businessman Karel Komarek and his oil and gas holding. Komarek is known as the “official representative” of Gazprom in Central Europe.

Since the 2000s, Komarek has actively collaborated with the Russians, for instance, in constructing joint gas storage facilities in the Czech Republic. They built a state-of-the-art gas storage facility in the Czech Republic, accounting for 12% of the country’s underground gas storage, during 2014–2016, when Russia was occupying Crimea and waging war in Donbas, spending money without hesitation.

Komarek’s projects were aimed at helping the Russians build alternative gas infrastructure to strengthen their presence in Europe. In the Czech Republic, the company Moravia Gas Storage a.s. was created. From 2013 to 2024, Gazprom held over 50% ownership, while less than 50% was owned by the Czech MND a.s. of Komarek.

In the supervisory board of the company were figures like Sergey Tregub, an associate of Gazprom’s head Miller and a former resident of the Russian GRU in Syria, and Alexander Medvedev, whom the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag described as “Putin’s hand, rewarding loyalists and punishing traitors.” This enemy of Ukraine, for example, was awarded the medal “For the Liberation of Sevastopol and Crimea.”

Only after the approval of the 10th sanctions package against Russia in the spring of 2023 did Komarek’s holding announce the suspension of the contract with Gazprom. However, the collaboration with the management of the Czech gas storage continued for another nine months. By the spring of 2024, Gazprom’s share in the Czech storage management company had decreased to 3%, while Komarek allegedly received 97%. By that time, Ukraine had been enduring full-scale war for two years.

Why “allegedly”? It turns out that there are grounds to suspect that Komarek is simply a “front” for Gazprom and the Russian government. Now, under his banner, the Russians are trying to gain control over gas fields in the frontline zone, involving the business family Kozytsky, which has connections with the Ukrainian government.

What are these grounds? They are quite straightforward. Komarek has oil and gas assets in Russia and has been seeking ways to access the Russian oil production market since the mid-2000s.

At the beginning of 2011, Komarek acquired an oil terminal in the Samara region. The existing company was renamed to “MND Samara” (currently known as “Oil Terminal Samara LLC”). Its main activity is the handling of oil and petroleum products. The oil depot, covering 18 hectares, is located on the right bank of the Volga River in the city of Oktyabrsk, near Syzran. The design and reconstruction of the oil depot were carried out quickly. The project capacity of the oil reception, storage, and loading complex of “MND Samara LLC” is up to 5 million tons per year. This includes 3 million tons per year transported by rail and 2 million tons per year by river transport. The complex is located at the intersection of railway and water routes, allowing access to the Caspian and Black Seas.

The oil complex was built by the energy group “ITERA,” which, among other things, operated the Druzhba pipeline and, during the 2010s, lost its market positions. As a result, its assets were absorbed by Gazprom and Rosneft. It is most likely that it was through cooperation with Gazprom that Komarek managed to acquire this asset. The acquisition of an asset in Russia can also explain MND’s partnership with the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League), mentioned in the «Mirror of the week» article.

Historical records in the Russian registry for this complex list the website and email addresses of Komarek’s MND oil and gas holding. It is also known from the registries that until 2022, the owner of this Russian firm was an offshore company from the Netherlands, MND Samara Holding BV.

According to MND’s public report for 2021, MND Samara Holding BV is affiliated with Komarek’s group. Therefore, the fact that Komarek owned the oil complex at least until 2022 is undisputed.

At the end of 2022, the formal owner of the oil complex changed to the same offshore company from the Netherlands, registered at the same address as MND Samara Holding BV. This indicates that Komarek is likely still the owner of this critical asset. The importance of this will become clear later.

A document on the implementation of departmental and municipal programs in Oktyabrsk for 2022 can be found online. It mentions the importance of the MND Samara oil terminal “in view of possible terrorist actions.” This likely refers to protecting the oil complex from the actions of Ukrainian defense forces – such as drone attacks by the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). This suggests that the complex is involved in providing critical resources to Russian troops.

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are aware that Komarek’s Russian oil project is involved in the war against Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian court records, in 2019, a case was reviewed regarding a lawsuit by “Horizons LLC,” owned by Komarek and the Kozytskyi family, concerning its exclusion from an auction for special permits to exploit natural resources. The case indicates that the exclusion of “Horizons LLC” was initiated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The Ukrainian intelligence agency established that Komarek’s Samara oil complex was at that time ensuring the stable operation of Russia’s oil and gas system, including in the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Recently, journalists inquired with the SBU regarding these facts and the involvement of such “respected European businessmen” in Ukrainian gas fields. The security service acknowledged the receipt of this information but emphasized that “this work is classified, and its results are not disclosed in the interests of national security until appropriate decisions are made.” It remains unclear what is meant by “taking into account the information” and whether it is a euphemism for “deep concern.”

A small detail: In 2022, the multifaceted businessman Komarek decided to enter the lottery market in the United Kingdom. Recently, The Guardian reported that British lawmakers have initiated an investigation into this businessman regarding his strong ties with the Russians. Thus, London has many questions for him, and these are quite public. Meanwhile, everything remains shrouded in secrecy here.

However, it is clearly known that Ukrainian business, represented by the incorporated Kozytskyi family, is collaborating productively with Gazprom’s long-time partners. This somewhat resembles the “protection scheme” for 20%—a traditional Russian tactic, especially in the gas market, which allowed them for years to recruit and corrupt Ukrainian and European businessmen and officials. How should we respond to all this?

Ukraine Front Lines