While the ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych in absentia trial for treason, his former hunting residence arranged the camping. The status of the land remains uncertain. A report DW.The Dnieper-Teterevsky forestry – hour by car from Kiev on a perfectly smooth road. Anywhere there are no such good roads as those that lead to the residence of current and former officials. In the middle of the territory of the forest a tall fence. Him – “Suholuche”, hunting for “chosen” from the circle of former President Viktor Yanukovych. Where once was a heavy guard of special forces soldiers, how to get there free today.
“Hunter’s branch” Mezhyhirya”
In “Suholuche” from the Soviet era rested and hunted item. In 1967, the place chose for himself the then First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist party of Ukraine Vladimir Shcherbitsky. And in 2004 the territory of hunting grounds got their hands on Viktor Yanukovych, who was at that time Prime Minister.
After the first withdrawal, the most exemplary way through the thick forest 7.8 km leads to another three-meter fence. Behind him is the personal hunting residence of the former President, now hiding from justice in Russia. Here, where the modest old hunting house Shcherbytsky, Yanukovych built a two-storey wooden house “acacia”.
And later, when the circle of friends-hunters of the ex-President has expanded, not far from the “Acacia” he built another luxury complex – the so-called “Island” surrounded by water. The Central object has become a luxury wooden house similar to the one that is in Mezhyhiria.
“Suholuche”: 30 hectares under the tutelage of activists
The total area of the two former estates of Victor Yanukovych and his friends who are in the “Sukholuchye” is about 30 hectares. To the land seized in criminal cases. In 2016, the General Prosecutor’s office of Ukraine (PGO) handed over the estate together with the main residence Yanukovych mezhigorie under the guardianship of the public organization “national Park of Ukraine Mezhyhirya”. It includes former representatives of Self Maidan.
At the entrance to the residences of the guards takes 50 hryvnia. “If you want to stay here for a few days with a tent that is 200 hryvnia per day with tents, water and firewood provide,” – says the guard Dmitry. This “charitable contributions” for which the public organization currently contains “Suholuche”, explains the Chairman of the public organization Denis Trakatelis.
According to him, in the year on the maintenance and protection of the elite residences have up to 3 million hryvnia. Now “Sukholuchye” each year, collected no more than 150 thousand. “Tourists are very few. Many do not know that the residence is open to visitors. Therefore, it is necessary to make additional funding of “charitable contributions” Mezhyhirya. People go there actively. And in vain, because in “Suholuche” very well,” says Trakatellis.
Pine forest on the shore of the Kiev reservoir offers breathtaking views. Embankment in the willows, tame deer, goats, deer, which roam freely in the woods, fishing lakes, clean air and silence filled only with the chirping of birds. Now, instead of the high-ranking officials and ordinary Ukrainians can celebrate a birthday or wedding in the gazebo by the water, where before the assembled members of the hunting of the VIP club, or to book a tour in a luxurious wooden house in the complex “Island”.
The residence Yanukovych looted the “patriots”
The interior of this Finnish log cabin decorated as a large floating ship with an internal balcony in the captain’s bridges and masts. In the center of the room a huge table for 18 people, three chairs, a sofa, a fireplace the size taller than a man and a huge wrought-iron chandelier. And this is all that remains of the former luxury. Other expensive furniture, appliances and decoration has disappeared.
“We came here in may 2016. Before that here before sending it to the East stood the battalion “Kiev-2″. To them unknown, who were looting,” – explains Denis Trakatelis. According to him, everything is now in residence, the Prosecutor General’s office of Ukraine has recorded the act of transfer and acceptance of property for storage of its social organization. And since no one thing, he assures, not missing.
The head of security of residence “Sukholuchye”, the participant of military operations in the Donbass, is his military call sign “Mihalych” and notes that a volunteer battalion of patrol service of militia of special purpose internal Affairs of Ukraine “Kiev-2” left the territory of residence suddenly, without warning about your care. And for a while, “Sukholuchye” is completely left unguarded.
“On the one hand patriotism and on the other looting. Do not fit in the head. But it robbed it their own, “patriots”. Tiles stripped, toilets, kitchen, cables, destroyed the irrigation system. Here they took everything that could take” – lists “Mikhalych”. The house acacia, the situation is better. There remained most of the furniture and appliances and even tableware.
Now the “national Park of Ukraine Ukraine” from “donations” of the visitors is gradually rebuilding the infrastructure of the residence – repaired street lighting, partially renovated, lawn irrigation system, open mini-café for tourists on the territory of the residence in the former house of a fisherman, a forest campsite.
Yanukovych fled – the hunt continues
Camping under the tutelage of activists operates on the territory of the former residence of Yanukovych within the hunting grounds. But this is only 30 hectares from 30 thousand. The rest of the territory not guarded by anyone. Huge lands still remain formally leased to hunting club “Kedr”.
Its founders, according to the registers, are those around the President-the fugitive: the former Deputy Prime Minister, now leader of the Opposition bloc Yuriy Boyko, the former head of Ukravtodor Volodymyr Demishkan and former Chairman of Cherkasy regional state administration Serhiy Tulub. Kedr is still there. Still shoot the land, although we don’t know who is hunting there right now. We control only the residence,” adds Denis Trakatelis.
Still legal residency status to be determined. The Department of special investigations of the Prosecutor General’s office has sent to court the indictment in the criminal case against former head of Kyiv regional state administration Vera Ulyanchenko, Director of the Dnieper-Teterevsky hunting forestry, the Director of “house of the Forester” and 16 people. All of them are accused of illegal possession, together with Yanukovych and his interests the state property in especially large sizes, in particular, land to land “Suholuche”.
“These people shaped the land in “Suholuche “. We handed over in 2016 this case to court, but so far it has not progressed. After that, the attorney General Lutsenko took our unit investigating economic crimes Yanukovych, so, how it will end – it is not yet known, ” – said DW Director of the special investigations Department of the GPU Sergey Gorbatyuk.
The national Park or estate for the new elites?
Activists fear that due to the uncertain status of the former residences of some time “Sukholuchye” can be in the hands of the former owners. “I’ll go, no problem. But I wish there was a national Park and not someone’s estate. Where our people can relax? And there is such infrastructure, a petting zoo. Wanted to and left it for people to later tell our grandchildren that we gave here again to put up a fence new “masters of life”, – with bitterness in his voice said the chief of security of the residence.
While activists do not lose hope to do in the building of the national Park. In the nearest plans of the former samooboronovtsev – to organize a scout camp or to create a “Suholuche” rehabilitation center for combatants in the East of Ukraine.