The largest leak in history

A little over a year ago, an unknown person provided the Süddeustche Zeitung newspaper with a huge archive of internal documents of the Panamanian company Mossack Fonseca, which is involved in registering offshore companies. More than 11 million documents with a total volume of 2.6 terabytes fell into the hands of journalists. The Panama Papers became the largest information leak in history.

Mathematics from Mossack Fonseca

From the Mossack Fonseca archive it follows that the company helped establish offshore companies for 12 world leaders, as well as family members or the immediate circle of heads of state. In total, the documents mention 140 heads of state and eminent politicians and 214 thousand offshore companies from 200 countries.

"Panama Papers": Petro Poroshenko and Jackie Chan in the same boat

A big name in the offshore market

Established in 1977, Mossack Fonseca is one of the world's largest offshore company registration firms. Its main office is located in Panama. The company was founded by the German Jürgen Mossack, whose father emigrated to Panama after World War II, and the writer Ramon Fonseca. The company's offices are located throughout the world.

"Panama Papers": Petro Poroshenko and Jackie Chan in the same boat

Presidents, kings, prime ministers...

From Mossack Fonseca documents it became known that the companies established with its help are in one way or another connected with the “powers that be.” Among those mentioned in the Panama Papers are Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Spain's former King Juan Carlos, Argentine President Mauricio Macri and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

"Panama Papers": Petro Poroshenko and Jackie Chan in the same boat

...and their immediate family

Many offshore companies turned out to be registered in the names of the wives, sisters, daughters and cousins ​​of world leaders. Among those involved in the Panama Papers are the entire family of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the grandson of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the father of British Prime Minister David Cameron.

"Panama Papers": Petro Poroshenko and Jackie Chan in the same boat

Cello in the bushes

Among the clients of the Panamanian company were people from the inner circle of President Vladimir Putin. For example, his longtime friend, the famous cellist Sergei Roldugin. The documents show that he owns several offshore companies, in whose accounts hundreds of millions of dollars were deposited - a small part of the $2 billion that passed through companies associated with people and companies close to Putin.

"Panama Papers": Petro Poroshenko and Jackie Chan in the same boat

Promised but didn't sell

Journalists who studied the Mossack Fonseca archive found Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to have offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus and the Netherlands. As it turned out, the assets of his Roshen confectionery factory, which Poroshenko promised to sell before the presidential elections, were transferred there. Now in Ukraine a tax audit has begun against the president.

"Panama Papers": Petro Poroshenko and Jackie Chan in the same boat

Not only politicians

Among those involved in the Panama Papers was actor Jackie Chan. At least six offshore companies under the management of Mossack Fonseca are registered under it. However, it does not follow from the documents that the Hollywood star used them for criminal purposes. The Panamanian company's archive also mentions the name of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi. In his case, tax evasion has long been an open secret.

"Panama Papers": Petro Poroshenko and Jackie Chan in the same boat

Resigned...temporarily

From the Panama Papers it became known that the Prime Minister of Iceland, Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, also has an offshore company. After this, thousands of Icelanders took to the streets to demand his resignation. As a result, Gunnlaugsson actually decided to leave his post. True, as it later turned out, the head of the Icelandic government resigned only for a while.

The governor of the Odessa region, Mikheil Saakashvili, resigned with a scandal, saying that he had never been deceived as much as in Ukraine. At the same time, the former head of Georgia made a personal attack on the country’s President Petro Poroshenko, and also promised everyone a “new stage of the struggle.” Details of Saakashvili’s political performance are in the Lenta.ru material.

The first one was hunted down

Like other events involving the odious governor of the Odessa region, his resignation looked like a carefully choreographed show. According to the laws of the genre, there was some “warm-up”. Thus, on the morning of November 7, the resignation of one of Saakashvili’s closest associates, the head of the main department of the National Police of the Odessa region, Georgy Lortkipanidze, was announced. The security officer, who headed the regional police in June 2015, that is, almost immediately after Saakashvili’s appointment as governor of the region, in a video message published on the official website of the regional administration, noted that he “believes in a better future for Odessa and Ukraine,” but called the situation in the security forces critical, pointing to an increase in crime in the region “for reasons beyond the control of the police.” On the other hand, according to him, the reasons are quite clear: today the Odessa police lacks about a thousand employees, and in the near future, by decision of the certification commission, another 400 people are going to be fired from the authorities. Investigators are forced to conduct from 200 to 400 cases at the same time, which is no easier for district police officers and detectives. “Knowing well the system that I head, I think that at this stage of development of the police of the Odessa region, “new blood” is needed,” summed up a member of the Georgian reform team.

Saakashvili commented on the resignation of his comrade much more emotionally. “They took away most of his functions, and then they started persecuting him from all sides (...). Lortkipanidze was the first police chief in recent memory who did not take bribes. Well, now corrupt officials and scoundrels of all stripes can celebrate victory. I assure them, it won’t be for long,” he was indignant. It is already known that the temporary duties of the Odessa police chief have been assigned to the current deputy head of the regional department - the head of the criminal police, 31-year-old Major Vadim Mogila.

The second one was deceived

However, the main thing was ahead. On the afternoon of November 7, Saakashvili came to a briefing and announced that he was resigning. At first, the governor said something vaguely about the closure of the Citizen Service Center, which Poroshenko solemnly opened before the local elections, and now he has allegedly reversed this move. However, very quickly heavy artillery was used. The last straw, according to the former President of Georgia, was the published electronic declarations of Ukrainian officials. “I see these insolent faces (...), there is no other word (...), who here and throughout Ukraine brazenly declare that they have a billion in cash only, and also receive social assistance from the state, from those pensioners who, with trembling hands, collect their last pennies so as not to die of hunger,” Mishiko ripped off the covers of the loaf.

Photo: Nikolay Lazarenko / Kommersant

However, other “drops” were also significant: “the forces of regression are attacking everything progressive, all new beginnings are being killed in the bud,” the current government of Ukraine is no different from the previous one. “What difference does it make to Ukrainians who will not care about them - Poroshenko or Yanukovych (...), what difference does it make to Ukrainians who will rob them,” the flamboyant governor went into a rage. Moreover, according to him, all this time he had no real power in the region, since the president handed it over to “corrupt officials and enemies of Ukraine.” “Poroshenko personally supports two clans, gangsters, criminals, murderers of the 90s,” he denounced. Of course, there was a place in this lengthy indictment for Saakashvili’s main political opponents in Ukraine - former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and his closest associate in the Popular Front party, head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, whom the governor branded as a “pillar of corruption.” “It’s not work, I’m really sick of it and I’m really tired. In this situation, I decided to resign and begin a new stage of struggle. I won’t give up,” Saakashvili promised. And he made it clear that his enemies in Kyiv should not expect an easy life: “I will not get tired. Let them not hope and let them not expect to get rid of me. I am the soldier who goes as far as he can, and then as long as necessary. How much is needed for complete victory and to rid Ukraine of this scum and this corrupt dirt.”

However, an oral statement of resignation to journalists, even if so emotional in a Caucasian way, is not enough. No one has yet seen the written appeal that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko must satisfy. True, Saakashvili’s press secretary Darina Chizh reported that an official statement has already been sent to the administration of the head of state. According to Ukrainian media, immediately after the briefing, the governor headed from Odessa to Kyiv - apparently to completely resolve all procedural issues. Meanwhile, the presidential administration stated that Poroshenko is ready to sign a resignation decree if the corresponding document is submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. “At the same time, the real grounds for his dismissal will be analyzed,” the press service of the head of state clarified.

Saakashvili's decision turned out to be a complete surprise for everyone, and it will be possible to judge the true motives of the former Georgian president only by further events. However, we can recall, for example, how oligarch Igor Kolomoisky was removed from the post of head of the Dnepropetrovsk region - then the US Ambassador to Ukraine personally joined the process, and Poroshenko signed his resignation in his office in the presence of Kolomoisky on camera in an atmosphere of demonstrative friendliness. And if Saakashvili’s resignation does take place, it will be very important how it is handled.

As for Saakashvili’s desire to begin a “new stage of struggle,” he managed to create a certain toolkit for this. Let us remember that at the peak of his popularity, the politician established the so-called anti-corruption movement “For Cleansing” and even held several large forums in a number of regional centers of the country, winning a number of supporters there. The initiators of this project did not hide the fact that they see the future of the movement in its reformatting into a party capable of taking part in the next parliamentary elections. Recently, almost nothing has been heard about the project, but formally it exists and can be restarted at any time.

In addition, in Ukraine they are constantly talking about the possibility of early elections to the Verkhovna Rada, and if Saakashvili received information on this matter, then, having left the post of governor with such pomp, he can begin preparing for the transition of his associates to another level. The irony is that he himself cannot run for parliament or participate in the next presidential elections, because, although he received citizenship, he did not live in Ukraine for the number of years required by law to participate in elections. However, comrades in parliament may well bring a Georgian politician to the government of Ukraine, and in terms of possibilities this is much more than the governorship. However, the promotion of his political party and a good result in the elections are achievable only in the absence of opposition from the Ukrainian authorities - otherwise Saakashvili will have neither broadcasts nor even halls to meet with voters.

It is possible that everything is much simpler. All ratings show a catastrophically low level of trust in all government officials in Ukraine; the country is rocked by constant protests. And Saakashvili is a very experienced apparatchik who understands well which way the wind is blowing and when to escape from a sinking ship.

Petro Poroshenko agreed to resign early from the post of President of Ukraine, admitting his inability to restore order in the country. The head of state made this statement at a closed meeting with the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko and Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Turchinov.

Ex-Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleg Tsarev states this in his blog.

“I received information about a closed meeting of Poroshenko, which took place on November 23 and was attended by Avakov, Turchynov and Lutsenko. The current state of affairs in Ukraine was discussed.

The situation was considered catastrophic, and not only were there no prospects for improvement at all, on the contrary, everything indicated that it would only get worse. As a result, the president was actually given an ultimatum. Either he begins to restore order in the country himself, or he does not interfere with others to restore it. Poroshenko responded in this spirit - they say, put things in order yourself. Such a statement is actually self-removal from power. His statement confirmed what had already been talked about a lot on the sidelines - Poroshenko is ready to leave on his own, citing health problems. If Poroshenko is removed, a fierce struggle for power will unfold between the Avakov and Tymoshenko groups,” Tsarev claims.

According to him, the main contender for the presidency of Ukraine is now Yulia Tymoshenko. She has already secured the support of part of the US elite.

However, Tymoshenko's competitors are not asleep either.

“Avakov is exploring the possibility of seizing the Verkhovna Rada by radicals during the next plenary session so that deputies, under pressure, would impeach Poroshenko.

Time is against Avakov. He needs to take power, because otherwise Julia will take it away. If you lose power, there is a high probability of being subject to criminal prosecution. The next president of Ukraine will be too tempted to conduct an independent investigation into the execution of the “Heavenly Hundred,” Tsarev argues.

“As for the Americans, history teaches that they will deal with those who have power,” the politician clarifies.

Poroshenko's hat caught fire on his head

Petro Poroshenko, on the eve of the week of meetings of the Verkhovna Rada, held a secret meeting with representatives of the pro-presidential faction of the BPP to instruct deputies on how to answer awkward questions about the incriminating records that fugitive deputy Alexander Onishchenko began publishing.

Political scientist Mikhail Pavliv reported this on his blog.

“There is nothing in Onishchenko’s “films,” yeah... That is why the BPP faction is gathered in a panic on the eve of the plenary and the “defendant” himself is personally present at it, and formulates, as the head of the faction Gryniv put it, a line of defense. The “hat” on Pyotr Alekseevich’s head is simply blazing with a blue flame,” the expert stated.

On the verge of failure. Not only the eternal competitors from the opposition, but also his closest associates are confident of this.

A people's deputy from the BPP party assured journalists that he has reliable information about the boss's imminent resignation. The White House is only waiting for the right moment to replace the card, which has been played out in all respects, with a fresh protege.

And in the near future, Mr. Poroshenko will have plenty of reasons for official disgrace. The first, of course, is the election law in the southeast of the country. This is the main topic of today’s meeting of the Normandy Four and, naturally, the Ukrainian side will in every possible way evade responsibilities that are unacceptable to them.

But verbiage will no longer help - Washington has not left any room for maneuver for its “partners”. And if the issue is not resolved again today, the sanctions will be destructive for the entire regime. Biden is already ready to visit Kyiv for radical changes in the government.

Poroshenko found himself in a dead end. If his emissaries accept the terms of the parties and agree to local elections in Donbass, he will be torn apart at home by radicals and oppositionists. If not, early presidential re-elections will be on the agenda. The true masters of the regime made it clear that there would be no more concessions or warnings.

Another danger for the guarantor lies in the Dutch. The outcome of the future expression of the will of the Europeans is already in advance. Even Mark Rutte softly hinted about this, as if trying to apologize to his partners. The week after the referendum will be decisive for the Ukrainian government. This is the most convenient moment for quick and painless castling.

Fortunately, the applicants are already ready and just waiting for the signal. is rapidly preparing the electorate for the presidential elections. Madam will take the seat, unless, of course, Yatsenyuk and his sponsors are hiding an ace up their sleeve. Ukrainians are now more than ever ready for fundamental changes in the state structure. They have long been slowly being prepared for a colonial future under the US protectorate, and calls for voluntary slavery are already sounding louder from the main platforms of the country.

For example, MP from the BPP Vadim Denisenko openly stated that the West needs Ukraine only as a colony. They say that this country is seen there only as a supplier of grain and cheap labor. Of course, Ukraine will be beneficial to the West only as long as government officials are ready to meekly carry out all the instructions of their masters. Denisenko is confident that the West does not need migrants from Ukraine; they also have enough Syrians. Therefore, they will do everything possible to prevent the introduction of a visa-free regime with Ukraine. After all, the country is in a state of war. And such a neighborhood is very dangerous.

It is interesting that another unpleasant moment for Mr. President was prepared by “loving” patrons. The European Court of Human Rights has taken up the case against the guarantor of the Ukrainian Constitution. This was reported by Maxim Goldarb, head of the Public Audit organization, which contacted Strasbourg. For the first time in a very long time, an international court did not reject the claim against Poroshenko.

It is likely that the Western partners are preparing a very loud resignation for their drunken emissary, and in order not to subsequently shelter the wealthy pensioner, they are preparing in advance for him a cozy cell with a view of the sea. Mr. Denisenko refers to certain sources in the US State Department confirming the information he has.

Apparently, within a month Ukraine will be in for a funny circus with new old clowns and a series of high-profile layoffs.

Ostap Samoyed

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The governor of the Odessa region, “Ukrainian” (in his words) Mikheil Saakashvili, announced that he had decided to resign.

The wording of his statement is excellent. The fact is that Saakashvili can submit his resignation, and the decision on his resignation is made (or not made) by President Poroshenko. Thus, Saakashvili, on the one hand, arrogates presidential powers to himself (makes a decision), and on the other hand, no one has yet seen the resignation letter itself.

Mikheil Saakashvili is a famous PR manager. He was like that when he worked as president of Georgia, whose prosecutor’s office is still seeking his extradition on charges of a whole bunch of crimes, including corruption. He remained so as head of the Odessa regional administration.

"On-site" office in a tent. The “new” police, not only work worse than the old one, but do not work at all. An uncompromising and unsuccessful struggle with the Odessa smuggling elite and the Kyiv center for control of the financial flows of customs. “Transparent” centers for starting a business, which served only Petro Poroshenko and were conveniently forgotten and closed. All these are stages of the long journey of the ex-Georgian, who, in front of television cameras, argued with the Armenian Arsen Avakov, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, about which of them is more Ukrainian, and who only “be-be-be can talk.”

Less than two years had passed since the appointment of the former “Georgian nationalist” and President of Georgia as a “Ukrainian nationalist” and governor of the Odessa region, when he saw blatant corruption in the Ukrainian post-Maidan leadership and decided to fight it with his resignation. Well, better late than never.

But is Saakashvili really pure and naive, like Turgenev’s young lady? Was he really still not aware that ministers and deputies, the president and governors, “volunteers” who provide war criminals in the so-called ATO zone with underpants, soap and stew, as well as the generals themselves, officers and soldiers of the “most powerful army” Europe" are being stolen like the last time? His friends and patrons from official and unofficial structures of the USA and the EU put all their efforts into a fruitless fight against Ukrainian corruption, and seasoned politician Mikheil Saakashvili only saw the light today?

Fresh legend...

I don’t even think - I’m sure that the obvious has finally dawned on Saakashvili. Petro Poroshenko, the named president of Ukraine, had bast shoes woven. Avakov-Biletsky's Nazi party "National Corps" is ready. The militants grouped around the Azov regiment, as a warm-up, stormed the same Cherkassy police department, which in the last days of the already falling Yanukovych, General Lipandin with a couple of dozen employees managed to protect from the raging crowd of the Maidan (simply threatening to give the command to shoot to kill). On Khreshchatyk, a “peaceful” crowd in the form of “deceived depositors” of Ukrainian banks warmed up.

Whoever becomes president of the United States, he (she) will definitely not care about Ukraine, not about Poroshenko and not about Saakashvili.

To complete the picture, grotesque property declarations of the Ukrainian political “elite” arrived, in which everything that was stolen, is being stolen at the moment and is planned to be stolen in the future is declared.

The people will only applaud when the current leaders are hung on poles. No one will come out to protect them. And the fact that it will be the Nazis who will hang it, who will then start hanging the communists, democrats, liberals, the suspicious and those simply passing by (since they don’t know how to do anything else) - the applauding people will understand this later, when it is too late.

Saakashvili, as is known, was fiercely at enmity with Avakov - right up to the opening of hostilities, throwing bottles of mineral water at each other. Then he, like most Ukrainian (and Russian as well) experts, was confident that the United States would never surrender Poroshenko and Ukraine. Why, such a “gift” on the border with Russia. They did not notice that the “gift” was rotten, since they rotted along with it.

Now the “incredible” has become so obvious that even the failed generalissimo of Georgia, who promised to host a parade of Georgian troops on Red Square, understood. Even Poroshenko’s generals were more modest and were only going to take a parade around Sevastopol.

If you look at Saakashvili’s resignation hysteria from this point of view, it is absolutely logical and completely fits into the framework of Ukrainian (and when Saakashvili was president, Georgian) PR policy.

Let’s say Poroshenko accepts his resignation. Saakashvili has two options.

Firstly, you can quickly leave Ukraine with everything that you managed to “honestly” acquire through “backbreaking labor.”

Even if they won’t let you into the United States, there are many places on the planet where they love wealthy foreigners and don’t ask them unnecessary questions.

It is definitely easier for the Americans to place an unlucky Georgian-Ukrainian “nationalist” in some undemanding bantustan than to allow him to testify at a trial in Tbilisi, Kiev, or anywhere else (for example, Moscow). You can, of course, “lose” a loser (you never know how many of them drown or hang themselves), but this is the last argument. Alive and under control, he is cheap, ready for anything and can be useful for simple work in the third world.

Secondly, you can stay in Ukraine and try to join the Nazi opposition to Poroshenko. Saakashvili, of course, is not needed by the Ukrainian Nazis, with his ambitions, greed for other people's goods and tendency to public hysterics. But it’s somehow not comme il faut to kill him: after all, he is ideologically close - a Russophobe of international class. You see, if the requests are moderated, they will attach it somewhere.

Let’s say Poroshenko does not accept Saakashvili’s resignation. Then you can openly publicly go into opposition and establish contacts with the same Avakov, with Kolomoisky and with other opponents of Poroshenko (and this is the entire Ukrainian oligarchy). The position of the governor of the Odessa region, albeit weak, provides good opportunities for bargaining. Moreover, the Odessa smuggling elite will also need its own public representative with connections in the outside world.