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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1971|10|27}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1971|10|27}}
| birth_place = [[Kharkiv]], [[Ukrainian SSR]], [[USSR]]
| birth_place = [[Kharkiv]], [[Ukrainian SSR]], [[USSR]]
| nationality =
| nationality = Russian (until 2021)
| other_names =
| other_names =
| citizenship = [[Ukraine]]
| citizenship = [[Ukraine]]
| alma_mater = Kharkiv National University of Construction and Architecture
| alma_mater = [[Kharkiv State University]]
| occupation = Businessman
| occupation = Businessman
| years_active = 1992–present
| years_active = 1992–present

Revision as of 12:14, 16 October 2022

Pavel Fuks
Павло Якович Фукс
Born (1971-10-27) 27 October 1971 (age 52)
Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
NationalityRussian (until 2021)
CitizenshipUkraine
Alma materKharkiv State University
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1992–present
Websitet.me/pavelfuks

Pavel Yakovlevich Fuks (Ukrainian: Павло Якович Фукс, Russian: Павел Яковлевич Фукс (surname sometimes also spelled Fuchs); b. 27 October 1971, Kharkiv, USSR) is a Ukrainian oligarch[1] who is known for founding a development company, Mos City Group.[2] Fuks has made most of his wealth through business ventures in Russia.[3] Fuks is a Russian and a Ukrainian citizen, but in June 2021, he claimed that he had gone through all the procedures for renouncing his Russian passport.[4]

Fuks was a member of the Supervisory Board of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center (BYHMC).[5]

Early life

Pavel (Pavlo) Fuks was born in October 1971, in Kharkiv, Ukraine.[3] In 1994, he graduated from the Kharkiv State University after studying at its department of economic and social planning.[3][6] Between 1997 and 2003, Fuks continued his studies at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics on the faculty of World Economy.

From 1995 to 1999, he was an adviser to the chairman of the board of JSCB Prominvestbank. In 1999–2000, Fuks served as the vice president of CJSC Foreign Economic Corporation.[6][7]

Career

Career in Russia

Fuks' career in Russia began in 2002 he became more involved in the construction business. Among his first projects was the construction of the shopping center "Kaluzhskii," which has operated since 2001.[6][7] In June 2008, he negotiated with Donald Trump about the construction of Trump Tower in Moscow, but was unable to reach an agreement.[8][9][10][11] In 2010, Pavel Fuks was the largest shareholder of Sovkombank, where he owned a 21.83% stake. In March 2015, he sold his shares, which were valued at US$80 million.[12]

Pavel Fuks has repeatedly been included in the rating of billionaires of the magazine, Finance. In 2011, he took 150th place in the ranking of Russian billionaires, with a mark of 0* (creating a business from scratch) and a capital estimate of $740 million.[13] As per Russian interior ministry records, he was given a Russian nickname "Naemnik", which means mercenary in English.[3]

In 2017, Fuks hired Rudy Giuliani's law firm to help improve Kharkiv's public image.[14]

In March 2018, the London International Arbitration Court ordered the now defunct MosCityGroup aka MCG to pay 55$ million to a division of Kazakhstan's BTA Bank. In 2009, MCG bought a stake in the Eurasia Tower (Moscow City) from the former owner of BTA Bank, fugitive and former Kazahh banker, Mukhtar Ablyazov. The new owner of the bank, Kenes Rakishev, stated that MCG did not pay the second tranche totaling 30$ million in a deal to buy a 50% stake in the Eurasia construction project. In addition, the BTA Bank spent 4.2£ million on legal fees. According to Rakishev, the lawyers had filed personal claims against Pavel Fuks.[15][16]

In 2019, an international arrest warrant was issued for the Fuks brothers, who are wanted in Russia and in Kazakhstan for allegedly embezzling millions of dollars from the Moscow-City project.[17]

Career in Ukraine

In 2017, as per Focus, Fuks had a fortune of $270 million and took the 24th position in the ranking of the 100 richest people in Ukraine.[18]

In January 2018, the English-language channel Al Jazeera published a 99-page report partly based on information from the nominal director of one of the Cypriot offshore companies associated with Pavel Fuks. The document showed that Pavel Fuks was negotiating the purchase of the Cypriot company Quickpace Limited, which had assets of $160 million in the accounts controlled by the fourth President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and sanctioned oligarch Serhiy Kurchenko. As a result, in September 2015, Fuks, together with Oleksandr Onyshchenko, acquired the frozen assets of Quickpace Limited for $30 million (in proportions of 33% and 67%) and a private jet.[19][20][21]

Fuks had Russian citizenship, but in June 2021, he indicated that he had renounced it.[4] Fuks claims that in 2017, he had handed over his Russian passport at the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Ukraine.[4]

On July 19, 2022, Fuks won in the USA a lawsuit against American lobbyist Yuri Vanetik, obliging him to return Fuks $200 thousand and interest due to dispute over Trump inauguration events Fuks wanted to attend. Vanetik said he planned to appeal the ruling.[22][23]

According to Rolling Stone, Pavel Fuks on the eve of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched a false flag campaign to justify Russian invasion. According to the publication, Fuks paid local residents of the city of Kharkiv to paint swastikas on the walls of Synagogues.[24][25]

Sanctions

On 1 November 2018, Russian sanctions were imposed against 322 citizens of Ukraine, including Fuks.[26][why?]

In 2019, he was charged in absentia for embezzlement of funds.[27]

On 18 June 2021, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed sanctions against Fuks.[28] Fuks announced he would challenge it in court.[29][30]

Philanthropy

Fuks has regularly aided his native city of Kharkiv, having taken part in the restoration of the Kharkiv regional philharmonic and construction of the Church of the Holy Queen Tamara and a monument to the mythical founder of Kharkiv, cossack Kharko.[31]

He has supported athletes, including giving Ukrainian freestyle skier Oleksandr Abramenko and his mentor and senior coach of the Ukrainian national team, Enver Ablaev, certificates for 50 thousand dollars each for their achievements in Pyeongchang at the XXIII Olympic Winter Games.[32][33]

In 2020, according to Interfax-Ukraine, Fuks gave financial support to the families of the officers and cadets of the Ivan Kozhedub National Air Force University who were killed or injured in a plane crash near Chuhuiv. He transferred 2.7 million hryvnias to the families, with each family receiving 100,000 hryvnias of material assistance.[34]

As of early May 2022, as per Fuks' press service report, he has spent about 150 million hryvnias ($5 million) to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine and families of Ukrainian soldiers killed and injured during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.[35]

File:ILS 6758 German Khan and others at Babi Yar 2016.jpg
Fuks (third from the right) at the signing of the Declaration of Intent to create the Memorial Center of the Babi Yar in Kyiv on 29 September 2016.

Babi Yar

Fuks is the co-organizer of the construction of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center, which is projected to cost an estimated US$50 to 100 million. The memorial is planned to be completed in 2021, on the 80th anniversary of the tragedy of Babi Yar.[36] The project's development fund was created with the help of consultants from the American big-four accounting firm "Ernst & Young".[37] According to Fuks, the structure of the memorial will include educational programs, a research center and a museum.[37]

On 19 March 2017, the Supervisory Board of the Memorial Center for the Holocaust "Babi Yar" was established, and included Pavel Fuks, the Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko and his brother, the professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko. The board also included the shareholders of the consortium "Alfa Group" Mikhail Fridman and German Khan, among others.[38][39][5]

Critics of the project, such as Ukrainian Jewish dissident, leader and president of Association of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, Yosyf Zisels, characterized the project as a Russian Trojan Horse.[40][41] In 2021, after the levying of sanctions by the National Security Council of Ukraine against Pavel Fuks for his role in illegally obtaining licenses for the extraction of minerals from Ukraine,[42] the Babi Yar Supervisory Council announced that he had temporarily left the supervisory board with plans to return if the sanctions get lifted.[43]

Awards

  • Honorary Citizen of Kharkov (2014)[44]

References

  1. ^ Multiple sources:
    • Dean, Grace. "An oligarch bankrolled a scheme to paint swastikas in Ukraine to fuel Putin's unfounded claims about rampant Nazism, a report says". Business Insider.
    • "Oligarch, friend of Trump: Who is Pavel Fuchs?". Al Jazeera.
    • Bredderman, William (March 15, 2022). "Eric Adams' UN Man Linked to Sanctioned Ex-Moscow Mogul" – via The Daily Beast.
    • Hettena, Seth; Hettena, Seth (March 24, 2022). "Exclusive: Sources Say Oligarch Funded Scheme to Paint Swastikas in Ukraine".
    • Siegal, Tobias. "Jewish businessman paid for Nazi graffiti in Ukraine before Russia invaded – report". Times of Israel.
  2. ^ "Фукс Павло Якович – досьє ЄДНІСТЬ – ЗГАДУВАННЯ – УСІ НОВИНИ – Є!". Ednist.info. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d "Oligarch, friend of Trump: Who is Pavel Fuchs?".
  4. ^ a b c "Фукс заявив, що вийшов з громадянства Росії". Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  5. ^ a b Ayala, Christine (August 31, 2017). "In Ukraine, it's time for a Holocaust memorial at Babi Yar". Thehill.com. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Фукс Павел Яковлевич – персоны на". BFM.ru. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Фукс Павел Яковлевич". Kommersant. 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  8. ^ "Павел Фукс рассказал о переговорах с Дональдом Трампом в 2008 году". Vesti-ukr.com. April 7, 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Дональд Трамп продаст свое имя". Kommersant.ru. April 6, 2008. p. 18. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Дональд Трамп планировал несколько бизнес-проектов в России". News.rambler.ru. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Trump's Business Record in Russia Is Humiliating". Bloomberg L.P. August 29, 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  12. ^ "Павел Фукс больше не банкир". Forbes.ru. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  13. ^ "Рейтинг российских миллиардеров 2011". Archived from the original on 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
  14. ^ Vogel, Kenneth P. (July 2019). "Ukraine Role Focuses New Attention on Giuliani's Foreign Work". The New York Times.
  15. ^ Екатерина Геращенко (2018-03-12). "MosCityGroup припомнили "Евразию"". «Kommersant». Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  16. ^ "Не достроивший башню в "Москва-Сити" бизнесмен должен $55 млн БТА-банку". «RIA Novosti». 2018-03-12. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  17. ^ "FinCEN Leak Sheds Light On The Hidden Money Flows Of Putin's Russia". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  18. ^ "100 самых богатых людей Украины. Полный список". «Focus». 2017-05-12. Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  19. ^ Will Jordan (2018-07-30). "Oligarch named in Al Jazeera investigation faces questioning". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  20. ^ Alexander Golubov (2018-01-09). "Замороженные «деньги Януковича»: что известно о тайном соглашении олигархов" (in Russian). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  21. ^ "Курченко продал Онищенко и Фуксу права на «деньги Януковича» расследование" (in Russian). «Ukrainska Pravda». 2018-01-07. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  22. ^ "Ukrainian businessman Pavel Fuks won in the USA a lawsuit against lobbyist Yuri Vanetik". Interfax-Ukraine. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  23. ^ "Ukrainian Oligarch Wins U.S. Lawsuit Against Russian-American Lobbyist Over Trump Inauguration Tickets". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  24. ^ "Exclusive: Sources Say Oligarch Funded Scheme to Paint Swastikas in Ukraine". Rolling Stone. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  25. ^ "An oligarch bankrolled a scheme to paint swastikas in Ukraine to fuel Putin's unfounded claims about rampant Nazism, a report says". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  26. ^ Åslund, Anders (2 November 2018). "Making Sense of Russia's New Draconian Sanctions on Ukraine". Atlantic Council. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  27. ^ "Ukraine imposes sanctions on two business tycoons with ties to Rudy Giuliani". Occrp.org. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  28. ^ (in Ukrainian) Ukraine imposes sanctions against Firtash and Fuks, Ukrayinska Pravda (18 June 2021)
  29. ^ "NSDC sanctions: Pavel Fuks calls them "Danilov's revenge" and says he will appeal in court". Radio Liberty (in Ukrainian). 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  30. ^ "Fuks promises to sue the NSDC". Espreso TV (in Ukrainian). 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  31. ^ "Павел Фукс заявил, что намерен продолжить работать в Украине". Vesti-ukr.com. March 30, 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  32. ^ "Olympic champion in freestyle skiing Oleksandr Abramenko and coach Enver Ablaev received NOC awards". National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). March 13, 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  33. ^ "Businessman Pavel Fuks handed the Olympic champion Oleksandr Abramenko and his coach 50 thousand dollars each". Interfax-Ukraine (in Russian). March 13, 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  34. ^ "Businessman Fuks transferred 2.7 million hryvnias to the families of those killed and injured in a plane crash in Kharkiv region". Interfax-Ukraine. 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
  35. ^ Borys Davydenko, Volodymyr Landa (2022-05-03). "Підставили плече. Скільки найбагатші українці витратили на допомогу армії та українцям за час війни". Forbes Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  36. ^ "Миллиардер Фукс рассказал о строительстве мемориала Бабьего Яра". Podrobnosti.ua. September 4, 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  37. ^ a b "Фукс: Если мы сосредоточимся на политике, то мемориал в Бабьем Яру вряд ли когда-нибудь построят". Gordonua.com. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  38. ^ "The Supervisory Board of the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial Center has been established". Babiyar.org. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  39. ^ "People of different views and nationalities are brought together by a common goal – to build the memorial in Babi Yar, – Pavel Fuks". Ukranews.com. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  40. ^ "Russian-sponsored Babyn Yar memorial faces tough criticism". Kyiv Post. 2021-10-09. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
  41. ^ "Putin's "Trojan horse" in Ukraine — Babyn Yar and Holocaust memorialization". Euromaidan Press. 2021-04-03. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
  42. ^ "Фукс выходит из набсовета мемориального центра "Бабий Яр"". Interfax-Ukraine. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
  43. ^ "Фукс из-за санкций уходит с Набсовета комплекса "Бабий Яр"". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 2022-09-25.
  44. ^ "Определены почётные харьковчане 2014 года". Archived from the original on 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
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