"Cryptovisionary", fan of Kadyrov and Lavrov, Mykola Udyanskyi provided Ukraine with the Patriot air defence system?

You will laugh, but we have to thank the crypto businessman Mykola Udyanskyi for Romania’s transfer of the Patriot air defense system. I almost choked when I read the relevant news. But besides laughter, a question arose: who is this omnipotent gentleman? As it turned out, a fan of Foreign Minister Lavrov, and in the past, Ramzan Kadyrov… More details follow.

When I saw yesterday’s news about the delivery of Patriot SAM from Romania to Ukraine, I unexpectedly stumbled upon a very interesting “paid content” interview. It followed from this that it was this “cryptovisionary” (whatever that means) and honorary consul of Romania in Kharkiv, Ukraine, whom the country might owe for receiving the Patriot systems. And not only one, but, as the consul and visionary says, several at once.

I quote: "During the war in the most difficult times for Kharkiv, I tried to show the real situation in the city, brought delegations. And thanks to the fact that the Romanian authorities received accurate information about what was happening in Ukraine, perhaps we received several Patriot systems.”

Air defence is an important and sensitive topic requiring tact, caution, and silence. There is no room for clowns in this matter because these systems, without exaggeration, save thousands of civilian lives and critical infrastructure. They are truly invaluable to us, and it’s not even about the cost of over a billion dollars. The problem is that it is extremely difficult to obtain them due to geopolitical and security issues. Nobody wants to give them away, because to hand them over is to leave a “gap” in their own sky. Therefore, getting each one is preceded by long and painstaking foreign policy work. That is why speculating on this sensitive topic is, to put it mildly, extremely inappropriate and should not only be condemned by society but also receive proper legal assessment.

To expose Mr. Mykola Udyanskyi, you don’t need to have any deep insights. Suffice it to recall official reports refuting his nonsense. In particular, the comment of Romanian President Klaus Johannis to journalists in Washington on May 7, 2024, stating that the question of transferring the SAMs to Ukraine was raised by US President Joseph Biden during a meeting with the Romanian President. Also, the message of the Romanian Supreme Defence Council dated June 20, 2024, which indicated that the decision to transfer the SAMs was made as a result of the deteriorating security situation in Ukraine and regional implications, including for Romania’s security.

This brings us to the main question: how did a Kharkiv crypto-investor get the position of honorary consul, and even of Romania? His biography does not mention a diplomatic education or any diplomatic experience. Wikipedia suggests that he graduated from Kharkiv Automobile and Road University majoring in “Highways and Airports” and Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs in “Law” and “Cybersecurity.” Also, his connections with Romania are not found, at least in open sources. Despite a lack of diplomatic experience and connections with Romania, he was appointed honorary consul of this state in May 2023. And for a year and a half of active work as a consul, he is not noted: the only noteworthy event is the handing over of generators for the needs of the AFU.

It seems that the shameful practice of buying positions continues for us. Otherwise, I simply cannot explain this appointment to myself – at least there are no explanations in open sources as to how he obtained this position. Perhaps the reason is in the proximity of Mr. Udyanskyi to the current mayor of Kharkiv, Igor Terekhov, and before him - to his predecessor, the now late Gennady Kernes.

It’s no secret that pro-Russian sentiments have prevailed among the Kharkiv elites for a long time – right up to the start of the full-scale invasion – and the city’s top had both official and informal contacts with representatives of various (not so political) pro-Russian circles. Mykola Udyanskyi was no exception.

Let’s start with the funny stuff. As it became clear, Mr. Udyanskyi likes to buy glass beads of loud titles. And last year he became the winner of Investment Persona Congress Awards. He received this fantastic prize from such Anna Stukkert, a trust investor, who calls Sergey Lavrov her spiritual father and teacher. Yes, the same sad Russian horse. There’s a relevant screenshot.

Until 2022, Udyanskyi was often boasting of his friendship with people close to the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. Later, Udyanskyi deleted all photos from his account. But web archives don’t burn. And joint photos, where he is depicted with bloggers from Grozny close to Kadyrov, as well as with Rustam Kerimov – a fighter of the "Akhmat" club, can be verified and you will see that it is not "Photoshop".

In particular, the first block of photos – Udyanskyi with Rustam Kerimov (fight club "Akhmat").

The second block of photos: a deleted photo from Udianskyi’s account – with bloggers from Grozny, close to Kadyrov.

Thus, a very strange picture emerges. In diplomatic positions, albeit “honorary”, we find people who do not disdain contact and do business with Kadyrovites and accept awards from Lavrov’s students. These people publicly declare that they influence negotiations on Ukraine’s part on arms and equipment supplies.

I have no doubt that the presence of characters like Udyanskyi within 100 kilometers of the negotiation process undermines trust in the Ukrainian side and raises questions among partners, which do not have an answer. After all, if I easily found information about the Kadyrov-Lavrov background of the “honorary consul,” then our Western partners, who have many more opportunities, will be able to learn much more interesting. Thus arises the question: is this simply adventurism and self-promotion of a particular scandalous entrepreneur? Or the intelligence work of Russian special services to destabilize the negotiation process?

I would like to hear official answers from both the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: what role does Mykola Udyanskyi play in the negotiation process? Who authorized him to make loud statements about his alleged role in the transfer of the Patriot SAM to Ukraine? What is the real reason for these statements? Is Mr. Udyanskyi simply carried away by his PR, or is he consciously trying to undermine the negotiation process to please his friends and partners from Russia and Chechnya?

I am taking this issue under personal control and will closely monitor his further statements. Let’s make this Kadyrov-Lavrov “visionary” famous!

Oleksandr Aronets Censor.net