Volodymyr Prodyvus: a friend of Themis with Russian citizenship is reclaiming his business empire

Volodymyr Prodyvus: a friend of Themis with Russian citizenship is reclaiming his business empire

Volodymyr Prodyvus – businessman, former member of the Party of Regions, sports official, and criminal authority. Not waiting for the arrival of the "Russian world," which he advocated for at the start of the war, Prodyvus disavowed his words about the “brotherly nations and love for Russia”. However, the sudden surge of patriotism from the holder of a Russian passport is most likely driven by the desire to regain his business in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Prodyvus began building his business empire alongside his boxing career in the 1990s. Racketeering, gang clashes, three years in a colony for car theft and causing serious bodily harm, business takeovers, “first million”, status as a “criminal authority”, and Member of Parliament from the Party of Regions. These features of Volodymyr Prodyvus’s business conduct were widely reported in the press. However, to the general public, Volodymyr Prodyvus is remembered as the former head of the Boxing Federation of Ukraine, known for his pro-Russian sympathies, scandals, and distinct criminal trail. Interestingly, Volodymyr Prodyvus voluntarily resigned from the presidency of the FBU after winning the first instance court about reinstatement in office.

By a strange coincidence, before the decision on Prodyvus’s reinstatement was made, he was seen in the company of one of the judges of the Supreme Court, who was reviewing his case: «Volodymyr Studenets», who kindly agreed to sit in his car. We can only speculate on what motives and topics the judge Studenets might have had for communication if he boldly got into Volodymyr Prodyvus’s car. We remind you that the FSB’s favorite methods of recruiting Ukrainian officials include guarantees of job protection in the event of a "Russian world" coming to Ukraine. One thing is clear; it is unlikely that the pro-Russian criminal authority offered to simply give the judge a ride to the nearest public transport stop.

It is also interesting that all the recent court victories in Prodyvus’s favor are heard by the same panel of judges. Besides the already known Volodymyr Studenets, the presidium curiously includes Olena Kibenko and Svitlana Bakulina. This was the case with the decision on 12.07.2023, which satisfied Prodyvus’s claim to return him the controlling stake in PJSC “Vinnytsia Department Store”. The decision in favor of Prodyvus was made despite common sense and the lapse of all statute of limitations periods.

It is also curious that another case concerning the return of the controlling stake (51%) to Volodymyr Prodyvus is before the Supreme Court, but now in another Vinnytsia enterprise, PJSC “VOPAS 10599” with the same composition of judges, although the initial composition was different: Kibenko E.R., Kondratova I.D., Krolevets A.A. It seems the process is "put on the conveyor belt".

A legitimate question arises, how is this possible after the judicial reform and with the advent of the automatic judge distribution system? But, as in previous cases, by a strange coincidence, two days before the scheduled court date, judge Krolevec O.O. is "sent on vacation" – replacing her in the case is judge Studenets V.I. But the case hearing is postponed again, and now judge Kondratova I.D. is preparing for vacation, with judge Bakulina S.V. taking her place. When the entire team is in place, it is not hard to guess whose favor the decision will be in.

As shown by the case of former Supreme Court head Vsevolod Knyazev, judges will always take bribes, regardless of salary and bonus levels. The question is, how many more Ukrainians must die for some judges to stop taking bribes from Russians. We ask for this journalistic investigation to be considered an official request to the SSU, NABU, and SBI with a plea to verify the facts stated in the article and make decisions within their competencies.

Author: Maksym Nazarenko