Konstantin Grigorishin

Konstantin Ivanovich Grigorishin (born 16 November 1965) is a Russian-Ukrainian businessman and billionaire.Swimming Goes Pro With League Backed by Ukrainian Billionaire
Bloomberg (23 November 2019)Making a splash: new big-money competition shakes up swimming
The Guardian (18 June 2019) Business assets of Grigorishin, including energy, shipping and industrial machine-building companies, are mainly located in Ukraine. Grigorishin heads Energy Standard Group, which controls a number of enterprises in Zaporizhzhia and Ukrrichflot as well as eight Ukrainian regional energy-distribution companies. In the past owned Sumy NPO named after M.V. Frunze. On 1 November 2018 became one of 322 Ukrainian citizens against whom the Russian Federation imposed sanctions.

Biography

Grigorishin was born in Zaporizhzhia in a family of engineers-constructors of aviation engines who worked the whole life at elite Soviet construction bureau “Progress”. In 1982 graduated from physical-mathematics school №28 in Zaporizhzhia and was accepted to Moscow Physical-Technical Institute (MFTI). Studied first on physical and quantum electronics faculty and then in a theoretical group named after Landau on the faculty of general and applied physics with the quarters at the Institute of Theoretical Physics at Chernogolovka town.

Upon graduation from MFTI in 1988 started to work at theoretical department of the Institute of Spectrography of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in the city of Troitsk where in 1991 he passed PH.D defense on the topic “Light propagation in nonlinear unordered environments”.

In 1992 started to do business, establishing together with a few other graduates of MFTI his first company “AragornSoft”, which was developing system solutions in the sphere of IT-technologies. Starting from 1993 “Tsentralnaya Optovaya Metallobaza” company, established by the same partners, engaged in trading of ferrous material and ferro-alloys, soon becoming one of the biggest metal traders in the territory of CIS.

In 1995, having divided the business with former partners, together with a new partner established “Sozidanie” firm.

From 1996 to 2000, during big privatization campaign in Ukraine, Konstantin Grigorishin invested in controlling and material shareholdings of a number of metallurgic, industrial machine building, transport-logistics and energy distribution (so-called oblenergo) companies. Business assets of Grigorishin, including in energy, industrial machine building and transport-logistics sectors, mainly located in the territory of Ukraine. Grigorishin is the majority investor in established by him in 2005 Energy Standard Group, which indirectly owns material or controlling shareholdings in a number of enterprises in Zaporizhzhia and a couple of Ukrainian regional energy-distribution companies (oblenergo).

In 2007, Energy Standard Group acquired controlling shareholding in “Ukrrichflot” company.

In 2015 Russian authorities accused Grigorishin of evading taxes worth 675 million rubles, which he denies, and a criminal case against him was opened. Shortly after Grigorishin permanently moved back to Ukraine. In April 2016, a Russian court issued an arrest warrant for Grigorishin in absentia. Meanwhile Grigorishin acquired Ukrainian citizenship.

On 15 March 2016 applied for Ukrainian citizenship on “the territorial origin” principle – on the grounds of birth or permanent domicile in Ukraine before August 24, 1991, and was granted Ukrainian citizenship in May of the same year.Russian oligarch received Ukrainian citizenship (Российский олигарх получил гражданство Украины)
Khvylya. 30 May 2016

On 1 November 2018, Konstantin Grigorishin became one of 322 individuals against whom the sanctions were imposed by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Assets

According to his own statement, 95% of his business is concentrated in Ukrainian assets. The main assets are in industrial machine-building, shipbuilding and energy distribution sectors as well as transport-logistics company “Ukrrichflot”.

In energy distribution has controlling shareholdings in Luhansk and Vinnytsia regional energy distribution companies, the rest six oblenergo in question (Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Cherkasy (30%) and Ternopil) are controlled together with other shareholders, amongst which is Ihor Kolomoyskyi (starting from 2010 Poltava, Sumy and Chernihiv oblenergo were managed jointly with Kolomoyskiy. According to “ Ekonomicheskaya Pravda”, in spring 2016 preparation to divide assets has started, upon results of which Kolomoyskiy will obtain Poltava oblenergo). From the beginning of 2000th indirectly owns investments in majority shareholdings of “Zaporozhtransformator” (monopolist in production of Ukrainian power transformers and reactors) and “Zaporozhskiy Kabelniy Zavod”.

According to Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2014–2015, Grogorishin controls Ukrainian energy sector. On January 20, 2016 on the Cabinet of Ministers session Yatsenyuk officially applied to the Security Service of Ukraine with a request to investigate connection of Grigorishin to financing of anti-Ukrainian political forces (including the Communist Party of Ukraine) and his cooperation with FSB. Grigorishin himself actively criticized Yatsenyuk whom he treated very negatively.

On 15 March 2016 applied for Ukrainian citizenship. The grounds for this were mentioned birth or permanent domicile in Ukraine before August 24, 1991.

List of assets

As of autumn 2019, Grigorishin controlled:

* Vinnitsaoblenergo (50%)
* Zaporozhtransformator (100%)
* “Zaporozhskiy Kabelniy Zavod” (100%)
* Zaporozheoblenergo (in partnership with Ihor Kolomoyskiy, the latter has management control)
* Poltavaoblenergo (in partnership with Igor Kolomoyskiy, the latter has management control)
* Pidpryiemstvo “Kyiv”
* Sumyoblenergo (in partnership with Igor Kolomoyskiy, Grigorishin has management control)
* Ternopoloblenergo (in partnership with Kolomoyskiy, the latter has management control)
* UkrRichFlot (100%)
* Chernogovoblenergo (in partnership with Kolomoyskiy, Grigorishin has management control)

Political connections

During election campaign for the 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election the name of Konstantin Grigorishin was mentioned in connection with sponsorship of the political party and “Yabloko”. In the same time he was alleged to have financed the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) (SDPU(o)). shareholding in “Ukrrichflot” company.

Grigorishin has also been considered as one of the sponsors of the 2004 Orange Revolution, although he denied it.

According to Grigorishin he has loaned $12 million to Arsen Avakov and Viktor Baloha, at the time both members of Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc, to be used to finance their 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election campaign.

In 2000th was named as one of key financiers of the Communist Party of Ukraine which he ceased to support in 2012. According to Grigorishin's own words, he supported the Communist Party of Ukraine because during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych (2010-2014) "for political protection".

In 2014-2015 Konstantin Grogorishin actively criticized Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk whose work on said position he treated very negatively. In response, Arseniy Yatsenyuk on January 20, 2016 on the Cabinet of Minister's session accused Grigorishin of sabotage activities and work for foreign intelligence service.

On February 26, 2020 Pecherskiy District Court of Kyiv supported Konstantin Grigorishin's claim against the Cabinet of Ministers of Arseniy Yatsenyuk for defense of reputation and goodwill and refutation of false information. The Court ruled to refute false information spread by Yatsenyuk, which undermined reputation and goodwill of Grigorishin that “he is an example of those who steels funds from the budget and then finances anti-Ukrainian political forces and reports to FSB and is the agent of FSB”. The Court obliged former Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers to refute circulated false information.

Litigations

Konstantin Grigorishin, as all prominent businessmen of the end of 1990th – beginning of 2000th, suffered pressure from the side of political groups in power aimed to seize a share in his business. The main attacks here were done by Victor Pinchuk, the son-in-law of Leonid Kuchma, the President of Ukraine at the time being, by the group of Victor Medvedchuk – Ihor Surkis as well as by Ihor Kolomoyskyi.

During one of the attacks on his business in 2002, Grigorishin was arrested. That provocative act was discussed at the hearings in the House of Lords of the UK and covered in the speech of Viktor Yushenko, the leader of Ukrainian opposition at the time being, in Verkhovna Rada (the parliament of Ukraine). Grigorishin spent a week in detention and after then the charges were withdrawn. After being released, Grigorishin accused Surkis and Viktor Medvedchuk in organization of said provocative act. Being concerned about his and his family's safety, Grigorishin claimed he had to leave Ukraine and temporary moved to Moscow. According to Grigorishin's words, that all led to necessity, as a countermeasure to protect his business, to engage in politics and support opposition.

In December 2008 filed a claim to the High Court of Justice in London against Surkis and Valentin Zgurskiy, the shareholders of “Dynamo Kyiv” football club, regarding preemption right to buy 98% of shares in “Dynamo Kyiv” for 32 mln USD. According to Grigorishin, he was defrauded in 2004 when he was not allowed to exercise the right of preemption.

Under the court decision, Kolomoyskiy was ordered to pay Grigorishin 15 mln USD.

In 2008 the Security Service of Ukraine prohibited Grigorishin to enter the country for five years in connection with organization of “raider” (hostile takeover) attacks on Turboatom company. In June 2009, Kyiv Administrative Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the court of the first instance, which recognized the actions of the Security Service as unlawful.

In 2009 filed a lawsuit to invalidate the agreement on sale in 2006 of 61% shares in “UNTK” company, which controls broadcasting licence of Inter TV-channel. On 26 February the Commercial Court of Kyiv ordered to arrest the shares of the TV-channel and demanded the Ministry of Interior and General Prosecutor of Ukraine's Office to investigate the circumstances of death of Ihor Pluzhnikov, the former owner of the TV-channel, and subsequent sale of controlling block of shares in December 2009 to the companies of Valeriy Khoroshkovskyi. That lawsuit was treated as one of confrontation acts between Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

On April 13, 2016 at the hearing at the Moscow City Court, the investigator announced that Konstantin Grigorishin had been put on the wanted list in connection with tax evasion case for 675 mln RUB. The prosecution believes that Grigorishin together with his partner have not paid taxes for 675 934 000 RUB, and, therefore, inflicted damage to the state budget in the same amount.

On May 9, 2016, the London Court of International Arbitration decided in favor of Vadim Novinskiy

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