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Vadym Novynskyi

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Vadym Novynskyi
Вадим Новинский
Novynskyi in 2016
People's Deputy of Ukraine
In office
2013–2022
Personal details
Born (1963-06-03) 3 June 1963 (age 61)
Staraya Russa, Soviet Union
CitizenshipSoviet Union (1963-1991)
Russia (1991-2012)
Ukraine (since 2012)
NationalityArmenian
Alma materLeningrad Academy of Civil Aviation
OccupationPolitician, businessman and priest
WebsiteOfficial website

Vadym Novynskyi (Ukrainian: Вадим Новинський; born 3 June 1963[1]) is a Russian-born Ukrainian billionaire businessman, priest and politician of Armenian descent.[2][3][4] He is the owner of the Smart Holding Group, which has made him one of the wealthiest people in Ukraine. Novynskyi is also a protodeacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, often referred to as the ‘Moscow Patriarchate’.[5] He was elected to the Ukrainian Parliament in 2013, later being re-elected in 2014 and 2019. [6] He has also represented Ukraine in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.[7]

Rising in the Ukrainian metallurgical industry as a junior business partner of billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, he remained actively involved in church affairs before entering politics. He is one of the largest Ukrainian donors to his country, with his foundation having provided substantial assistance to Ukrainian medical and rehabilitation centres during the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Despite initially maintaining good relations with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the two have since fallen out, with Novynskyi leaving the country, being charged with treason and accused of aiding Russia. Novynskyi has described the charges as politically motivated.[8][9]

Early and personal life

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Novynskyi was born on 3 June 1963 in Staraya Russa, Soviet Russia, to an ethnically Armenian family.[1]

In 1985, he graduated from the Leningrad Academy of Civil Aviation in engineering management systems.[1]

Novinskyi began his career by working for various Soviet companies. At the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Novinskyi resided in what became the Russian Federation, of which he automatically became a citizen, although he moved to Ukraine in 1996 and switched to Ukrainian citizenship in 2012 by the order of the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, on the basis of "distinguished services to the country".[1][10]

He is married and has four children.[1]

Business career

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Novynskyi began his business career in Ukraine in 1996, rising in Lukoil's North West division before acquiring smaller metallurgy companies.[1][11]

In 1999, Novinskyi's combined these smaller companies to establish the Smart Group company with headquarters in Dnipropetrovsk.[12] The same year, his partners and him created the Neva Holding company and acquired a 77% stake in the Bulgarian metallurgical plant Promet at a privatisation tender. Over the next decade, these ventures proved immensly profitable.

In 2006, Novinskyi and his billionaire business partner Andrei Klyamko[11] united their Ukrainian metallurgy companies into Smart Holding Group.[11] In 2007, they exchanged them for a 23.75% stake in Metinvest,[11][10] in which they are junior partners with Rinat Akhmetov.

In 2010, Novinskyi's net worth was estimated at US$950 million.[13] In 2011, this number rose to US$2.7 billion.[14]

As of 2011, Smart Holding also owned large assets in the oil and gas sector, shipbuilding (the Black Sea, Kherson Shipyard, and Port Ochakiv) development, agriculture (Veres), finance (by controlling Unex Bank and being a minor shareholder in BM Bank,[10] whose revenues in 2011 stood at $14.2 billion[10]). In 2021, Unex Bank was sold to Dragon Capital,[15] while the BM Bank was liquidated by the NBU in 2014.[16]

As of 2013, Novynskyi had stakes in oil and gas company Regal Petroleum and supermarket chain Amstor.[11][17]

In 2013, he was described as the fifth richest person in Ukraine, with a fortune of US$3.273 billion.[18]

However, according to Ukrainian Forbes, in 2015, Vadim Novynskyi lost significant wealth and was no longer among the ten wealthiest Ukrainians.[19]

That year, he declared UAH 107 million of income (UAH 73,235 in salary, UAH 1,616,867 of income from the sale of intellectual property rights, UAH 47,980 in dividends and interest, UAH 244 in insurance payments, and US$5 million obtained from Cyprus sources). He owned two land plots with an area of 2,257 and 50,400 m2, three apartments with an area of 667,586 and 136 m2, and a garage of 51 m2. The nominal value of his abroad securities was UAH 6.7 million. The family also owned a land plot of 57,879 m2, three apartments (57,171 and 184 m2), and 453 m2 of other real estate.[20]

According to the NV periodical, in 2021, he regained much of his wealth and was now the third wealthiest Ukrainian; his fortune increased to US$2.4 billion, a 50% increase compared to 2020.[21]

In 2022, all business assets of Vadim Novinsky were transferred to the management of a trust company registered in Cyprus.[22]

Having his fortune assessed at US$3.5 billion in February 2022, by the end of the year, Novynskyi lost US$2.1 billion. In April 2023, Forbes estimated his fortune at US$1.4 billion.[23][24]

Political career

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Novynskyi contested the 2013 by-election in constituency 224 in Sevastopol, on the Crimean Peninsula, as an independent candidate, pledging to join the then-ruling Party of Regions if elected. Novynskyi won the vote with 53.41%, with an off-cycle turnout of 23.91%.[10][25][26] He became a Party of Regions member on 5 September 2013.[27]

Novynskyi opposed the March 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia. He was therefore banned by local and Russian federal authorities from entering his constituency, as well as the Crimean peninsula as a whole.[28][29]

Since the initial conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in 2014, Novynskyi has consistently supported the peace process on the side of Ukraine.[30][31][32] In the spring of 2014, he was a member of a Ukrainian delegation at talks with separatist (DPR and LPR) leaders in Lugansk.[33]

Novynskyi was unable to run for re-election in 2014 in his constituency due to the Russian annexation, but contested the vote on the electoral list of the Opposition Bloc, which was established after his Party of Regions was banned by the new authorities that came to power with the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution. He once again won the election, placing 11th from his party.[34][35]

From 2017 to 2019, he headed the public organisation "Party of Peace", which proclaimed to intensify the negotiation process between Ukraine and the self-proclaimed republics (DPR and LPR) based on the Minsk agreements.[36]

In May 2018, he initiated the international conference "The Balkan experience of achieving peace: lessons for Ukraine” in Zagreb, Croatia. It was attended by well-known politicians and experts from Ukraine, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Austria and the disputed republic of Kosovo.[37]

Novynskyi contested the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election in the Donbas, specifically the 57th single-seat constituency, located in the Donetsk Oblast. He won, and took office for his third term in parliament.[38]

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Novynskyi remained in the country, condemned the invasion, said there could be no excuses for it.[39] He resigned from parliament in June 2022.

Religious life

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Novynskyi is an active parishioner and patron of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) often referred to as the 'Moscow Patriarchate' (UOC-MP), and is a protodeacon.[40][41]

On 23 April 2020, it became known that Metropolitan Onufriy (Berezovsky), Primate of the UOC-MP, ordained Novinsky as a deacon. This was not officially reported; unofficially, the date of the ordination was 7 April.[42] Novynskyi served as a deacon for the first time in public at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on 7 June, the Feast of Pentecost.[43][44]

In the media, Novynskyi actively defends the UOC and has criticised the religious separation of Ukrainian Orthodoxy after the similarly-named but state-preferred Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) was recognised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.[45] Known for his uncompromising position regarding what he believes to be the persecution of the UOC by the authorities, he has repeatedly entered into public discussions with officials, including Presidents Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky, on issues of religious policy in Ukraine. Novynskyi has argued that his religious views have motivated governmental and prosecutorial actions against him.[46][47]

On 23 April 2023, Novynskyi was allegedly spotted leading a service at a Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) parish in Zürich, Switzerland. This is despite the UOC breaking all administrative ties with the ROC after condemning the Russian invasion in 2022.[48]

Charity

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In 2017, the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation became a partner of the All-Ukrainian charitable project "Help the Heart Beating". The Foundation also supports the rehabilitation program for children and young people diagnosed with cerebral palsy and organic nervous system lesions.[49]

Since the start of the Russian invasion, the Vadym Novynskyi Foundation has restructured its work to direct much of the resources to humanitarian assistance to doctors, those affected by the war and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From February to October 2022, the Foundation delivered aid for more than UAH 900 million. In particular, it is implementing a humanitarian project to deliver ambulances.[50] 40,000 food packages were dispatched to various regions of Ukraine. Medical equipment worth UAH 15 million were purchased for hospitals in Zaporizhzhia.[50]

In October–December 2022, the Novynskyi Foundation purchased and imported hundreds of generators to Ukraine to provide electricity to settlements affected by hostilities and rocket attacks.[51][52]

Controversies

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Criticism

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Many have described Novynskyi as a Russian oligarch who made a major fortune on dubious privatisation deals during the "dashing 1990s".

Sanctions by Russia

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On 25 December 2018, Novynskyi was included in the list of persons against whom Russia imposed sanctions.[citation needed] In July 2019, as part of a delegation of the UOC-MP, he was allowed to visit the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Region, where he met with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) Patriarch Kirill. At the time, the UOC-MP had not yet severed all administrative ties with the ROC, even though it has been self-governing since 1991. On 20 April 2020, he was excluded from the Russian sanctions list.[53]

Sanctions by Ukraine

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Ten months into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Novynskyi was accused of assisting Russia, although he was not criminally charged. Instead, on 6 December 2022 and again on 25 January 2023, he was included in the Ukrainian sanctions list.[54] Novynskyi's supporters have argued that he has condemned the Russian invasion and actively helped Ukraine.[50][51] The President's Office subsequently seized his property worth more than US$1 billion.[55]

A week before this imposition of sanctions against him, Novynskyi legally transferred the shares of enterprises owned by him to the trust of a company registered in Cyprus.[56] The authorities decided it was done through manipulation, thereafter annulled the agreement and reinstated Novynskyi as the registered shareholder of his enterprises.[57]

In April 2023, Ukrainian domestic intelligence and prosecutors searched his group's offices in Kyiv on the suspicion of tax fraud and supporting Russian interests, and blocked assets worth almost 100 million US$.[48]

In his official statement, Novynskyi accused the authorities of raiding and persecuting him for his defence of the UOC, which the government is attempting to ban.[58] Presently, Novynskyi is awaiting for the consideration of his appeals by the European Court of Human Rights.[citation needed]

Criminal proceedings

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On 8 December 2016, on the proposal of the Office of the Prosecutor General, Novynskyi was deprived of parliamentary immunity.[59] At the time of voting, Novynskyi noted that the draft resolution on bringing him to criminal liability was not published on the official website of the Verkhovna Rada as required by Ukrainian law.[60] Ultimately, the Office of the Prosecutor General did not present evidence of his guilt, but remained a witness until the case was closed.[61]

On 18 January 2025, Novynskyi was charged with high treason and incitement to religious hatred in absentia. Novynskyi has argued that the escalation is political, aimed at proceeding with a full ban on the UOC and creating an authoritarian state. The government has dismissed such characterisation as Russian propaganda.[62]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f (in Russian) Short bio, Liga.net
  2. ^ У Новинського знайшлося вірменське коріння. Бізнесмен продав рудоуправління у Севастополі своєму братові Ашоту Малхасяну. 21 августа 2015.
  3. ^ [1], Главком
  4. ^ "Архивированная копия" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Новинський, як диякон РПЦвУ, взяв участь в богослужінні в країні-агресорі на честь Алєксандра Нєвского". Духовний Фронт України (in Ukrainian). 14 September 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Vadym Novinsky decided to draw up the credentials of a Member of Parliament". babel.ua. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Vadym NOVYNSKYI – page on PACE's website". 20 June 2023.
  8. ^ "The Vadym Novynskyy Foundation allocated over UAH 80 million to fight COVID-19". Fakty (in Ukrainian). 20 June 2023.
  9. ^ "УПЦ та Фонд Вадима Новинського роздали більше 40 тисяч продуктових наборів жителям України, які страждають від війни — Delo.ua". delo.ua (in Ukrainian). 12 October 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e Novinsky wins by-election to Rada in Sevastopol, according to CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (8 July 2013)
  11. ^ a b c d e "Vadim Novinsky". Forbes. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Новинский Вадим Владиславович". LB.ua. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Справка Forbes: Вадим Новинский". Forbes.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 8 December 2010.
  14. ^ "Forbes.ru | Вадим Новинский". Forbes.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  15. ^ Semko, Liza (16 April 2021). "Dragon Capital buys Unex Bank from pro-Russian oligarch Novinsky – Apr. 16, 2021". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Національний банк відкликав банківську ліцензію у АТ "БМ Банк"". Національний банк України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 13 August 2023.
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  20. ^ "Новинський заробив на 100 мільйонів менше, але купив 3 Мерседеси". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). 1 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  21. ^ "15 найзаможніших: як і на чому заробляють лідери рейтингу Топ-100 найбагатших українців". biz.nv.ua (in Ukrainian). 6 November 2021. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
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  23. ^ "Forbes Billionaires 2023: The Richest People In The World". Forbes. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  24. ^ "Сайонара для Ілона, шалом для Коломойського. Forbes оновив рейтинг мільярдерів — хто з українців залишився у списку". biz.nv.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  25. ^ By-election to parliament in 224th majority constituency of Sevastopol scheduled for 7 July, says CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (18 April 2013)
  26. ^ Monday’s headlines: Novinsky wins elections in Sevastopol; NBU reserves dip in June; Local official beaten to death in Donbas region, Kyiv Post (8 July 2013)
  27. ^ (in Ukrainian) Новинський таки "вляпався" в ПР Novyns'kiy after all "defined" in VR, Ukrayinska Pravda (5 September 2013)
  28. ^ (in Ukrainian) Novyns'kiy willing to sell assets in Crimea, Ukrayinska Pravda (9 May 2014)
  29. ^ Ukraine: Putin signs Crimea annexation, BBC News (21 March 2014)
  30. ^ Novosti, R. I. A. (16 November 2016). "Вадим Новинский: те, кто думал, что я не вернусь, плохо меня знают…". РИА Новости Украина (in Russian). Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  31. ^ "В Николаеве обсудили мирные инициативы Вадима Новинского". 15 November 2018.
  32. ^ "Вадим Новинський запропонував свою формулу миру для Донбасу". 25 October 2019.
  33. ^ "Новинский: В вопросе установления мира в Донбассе мы с Зеленским союзники". Новости России, СНГ и мира – ИА REGNUM (in Russian). Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  34. ^ Poroshenko Bloc to have greatest number of seats in parliament, Ukrinform (8 November 2014)
    People's Front 0.33% ahead of Poroshenko Bloc with all ballots counted in Ukraine elections – CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)
    Poroshenko Bloc to get 132 seats in parliament – CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)
  35. ^ (in Ukrainian) Full electoral list of Opposition Bloc, Ukrayinska Pravda (19 September 2014)
  36. ^ ""Оппоблоковец" Новинский возглавил "Партию мира"". Зеркало недели | Дзеркало тижня | Mirror Weekly (in Russian). Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  37. ^ "В Загребе открылась международная конференция "Опыт балканских стран в мирном урегулировании конфликтов"". gordonua.com (in Russian). 18 May 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  38. ^ "Новинський і ще 5 "опоблоківців" проходять у Раду, а Колесніков – ні".
  39. ^ "России нет оправдания": Новинский заявил, что не уедет из Украины и продолжит помогать населению
  40. ^ "Ukraine sanctions wealthy businessman, nine priests linked to Russian church". Reuters. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  41. ^ "A Ukrainian oligarch attends unorthodox masses in Zurich". Le Monde.fr. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  42. ^ "Онуфрій висвятив Новінського на диякона – джерела з УПЦ МП – інтернет-видавництво Церкваріум". Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  43. ^ "Олігарх і депутат від ОПЗЖ Вадим Новінський став дияконом в Московському патріархаті". Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  44. ^ "Нардеп Новинський став дияконом Московського патріархату – ЗМІ". www.unian.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  45. ^ "Novinsky: Met Pavel case is an order from authorities to intimidate Church". СПЖ | SPZH. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  46. ^ "Вадим Новинський: Ніхто з представників великого бізнесу не ходитиме по струнці". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  47. ^ Service, RFE/RL's Ukrainian. "Zelenskiy Says More Measures Coming After Decree Banning Religious Organizations With Links To Russia". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  48. ^ a b Odehnal, Bernhard (22 April 2023). "Oligarch in Schweizer Kirche – "Putins Peitsche" zelebriert Messen in Zürich". Der Bund (in German). Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  49. ^ "Благотворительный фонд Новинского направил в 2018 году на благотворительные проекты 195,5 млн гривен". LB.ua. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  50. ^ a b c "УПЦ и Фонд Вадима Новинского раздали более 40 тысяч продуктовых наборов жителям Украины, страдающим от войны — Delo.ua". delo.ua (in Russian). 12 October 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  51. ^ a b "Vadym Novynskyi Foundation handed over electricity generators to Kyiv medical institutions – novynskyi". novynskyi.com (in Russian). Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  52. ^ "Мощный генератор подарил Святогорской Лавре фонд Новинского". Православная Жизнь (in Russian). Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  53. ^ "Russia lifts sanctions against Ukrainian MP, oligarch Novinsky". www.unian.info. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  54. ^ "Ukraine sanctions wealthy businessman, nine priests linked to Russian church". Reuters. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  55. ^ Hunder, Max (14 April 2023). "Ukraine says it seized assets of billionaire accused of aiding Russia". Reuters.
  56. ^ "Новинський передав свої активи і вийшов із бенефіціарів Smart Holding до введення проти нього санкцій". Економічна правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  57. ^ Kostiukova, Yulia (4 May 2023). "The Security Service of Ukraine has arrested 'hidden' assets of Novinsky worth over 10 billion UAH". Mind.ua. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  58. ^ "Вадим Новинский связал санкции украинских властей против него с поддержкой УПЦ". TASS (in Russian). 3 December 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  59. ^ "Юрій Луценко направив до Комітету ВРУ лист з доказами щодо питання про надання згоди на притягнення до кримінальної відповідальності Вадима Новинського". Управління зв’язків із громадськістю та ЗМІ Генеральної прокуратури України (in Ukrainian). 30 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  60. ^ "Рада зняла недоторканність з Новинського (фото)". LB.ua (in Ukrainian). 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  61. ^ "ГПУ закрила справу Новинського, через яку він втратив недоторканність – адвокат". Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  62. ^ "Ex-MP, leader of Russia-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church charged with treason". The Kyiv Independent. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  63. ^ Tsviliy, Olga (30 January 2019). "Patriarch Theophilos III awards Novinsky with Golden Cross". spzh.news. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
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