While many politicians appear to hide their mansions behind fences, security guards and, sometimes, intermediary owners, Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov took the unusual step of publishing photos of his large house and grounds on his Facebook page on May 7.
Kolesnikov said neighbors had asked him to post the photos as they are “tired of finding people with cameras on their property.”
Photographing the houses of Ukraine’s wealthy and powerful is a popular journalistic pursuit. The paparazzi-style published photos outrage people, especially since the government officials who live in them often declare tiny salaries while living in palaces.
The main target of the photos has been President Viktor Yanukovych. In recent weeks, leading news website Ukrainska Pravda has published photos it says are of luxury buildings being built for Yanukovych, including a hunting lodge and a boathouse. One newspaper paid for a helicopter to take photos of Mezhyhiria, the sprawling multimillion-dollar estate where he lives.
Yanukovych has denied owning the Mezhihyria estate, which was transferred from state ownership while he was prime minister and is owned by a company linked to people close to his sons. His office claims he owns a house on a small land plot within the estate.
Imprisoned former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko claimed that she rented her mansion in the prestigious Koncha Zaspa area near Kyiv. According to her 2009 income declaration, she earned a little over Hr 386,000 ($48,000) and did not own an apartment, a car or even a bank account of her own.
Kolesnikov, however, took a more direct approach in publishing photos of his estate, including offices, guesthouses and a private wharf.
He said he bought the land plot of some 50,000 square meters near Obukhiv in Kyiv Oblast in 2007 for Hr 13 million ($1.6 million). The construction, which he started in 2008, cost another Hr 95 million ($11.8 million). The area is located in a picturesque forest near a lake, with a private wharf of 186 square meters. The main house is 1441 square meters. There are also several houses for guests and two office buildings.
Critics say top officials often hide their assets, such as houses and cars, as they would be unable to explain the origin of the cash.
Kolesnikov, however, has no such problems. He has been in business since the early 1990s and his company, KONTI Group, is one of the largest confectionery manufacturers in Ukraine, with a market share of more than 13 percent in Ukraine and 3 percent in Russia.
According to Kolesnikov’s most recent tax declaration, he earned more than Hr 166 million ($20.7 million) in 2011. Aside from the mansion, he also owns two Bentleys and two Mercedes cars and a boat. His family owns another house, an apartment and two plots of land.
Kyiv Post staff writer Svitlana Tuchynska can be reached at [email protected]
