Leonid Derkach

Деркач Леонід Васильович

Leonid Vasylovych Derkach (Ukrainian: Леонід Васильович Деркач; 19 July 1939 – 14 January 2022) was a Soviet and Ukrainian politician, intelligence officer, and general who was Head of the Security Service of Ukraine from 22 April 1998 to 10 February 2001. Called the "Ukrainian Sorge" (Russian: "Украинский Зорге"),[1][2] he headed one of the five groups in the Dnipropetrovsk Mafia.[3][a] The Derkach family maintains very close relationships with Oleg Deripaska, Mikhail Fridman's Moscow-based Alfa Group and Petr Aven's Alfa-Bank.[3][4]

Both Andrii and Leonid Derkach were also close to Vadim Rabinovich as well as Semyon Mogilevich, Alexander Angert [ru; uk], Leonid Minin, and Sergei Mikhailov, members of the Russian, Ukrainian, and Israeli mafias.[5]

Career[edit]

From 1957 to 1972, Derkach worked at the Soviet Rocket giant Yuzhmash (Ukrainian: ПО "Пiвденмаш") in Dnipropetrovsk (today Dnipro).[6] From 1958 to 1961, while he worked at Yuzhmash, he studied at the Dnepropetrovsk Mechinists Technical School.[7][8][b] He was in the Soviet Army from 1961 to 1964.[6][7] From 1964 to 1970, he studied at Dniepropetrovsk State University graduating in 1970 with a Physics and Technical PhD as a mechanical engineer of aeronautics.[6][7][10] After graduation, he worked as a senior process engineer at Yuzhmash from 1970 to 1972.[7]

He graduated Dzerzhinsky Higher School in 1973.[10] From March 1972 to December 1992 he worked for the Ukrainian SSR's branch of the KGB (in 1992 became Security Service of Ukraine) in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.[6][10]

On Era TV (Russian: Эра), Derkach was presented to be close to Mogilevich.[11]

Yuriy Kravchenko was an outspoken critic of both Derkach and Leonid Kuchma.[11]

In September 1999 in the Ukrainian newspaper Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Russian: «Зеркало недели» (№37 (258), 18-24 сентября 1999 года)) (Ukrainian: Дзеркало тижня), Derkach describes Semyon Mogilevich as a simple businessman which led to the FBI's representative in Ukraine, Michael Pischemuk, and the US Ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Pifer, to meet on 22 December 1999 with Yevhen Marchuk, who is the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, to discuss the troubling statement.[1][2] Through the Mykola Melnychenko recordings of 2000, Derkach was close to Russian mafia leader Semyon Mogilevich.[1][12][13] According to Derkach in these recordings, Vladimir Putin is also very close to Mogilevich.[13]

Derkach was fired in 2001 for his alleged involvement in the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze.[3][14][15] Yevhen Marchuk was pivotal in having Derkach fired.[16]

In 2005, the report of the ad hoc committee of the Ukrainian parliament investigating the murder concluded that Gongadze's murder had been organized by then President of Ukraine Kuchma and his Minister of the Interior Yuriy Kravchenko and that Derkach had been involved in the crimes.[17]

He was a member of the Fourth Convocation [uk] of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine parliament) representing okrug number 36 in the Dniepropetrovsk Region from 14 May 2002 until 25 May 2006.[18]

Personal life and death[edit]

His son, Andrii Derkach, who is also a Russian intelligence operative that graduated from the KGB's Dzerzhinsky Higher School now known as the FSB Academy, was a close ally to Rudy Giuliani during 2019 and 2020 for support of Donald Trump's Presidential campaign.[14][19][20][21][22]

Derkach died on 14 January 2022, at the age of 82.[23]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Of the Clan of Dnipropetrovsk, the Derkach group of Leonid and his son Andrii are close to the Leonid Kuchma group. The Viktor Pinchuk group is a rival of the Derkach group. The Yulia Timoshenko group is a rival of the Kuchma group. The fifth group is the Privatbank group.[3]
  2. ^ The Derkach family is very close to Leonid Kuchma who worked side by side with Leonid Derkach producing Satan rockets at the Yuzhmash (Russian: Южмаш) factory, and, after Kuchma became president of Ukraine in 1994, the Derkachs gained political positions through their relationships with Kuchma.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Схема можливих зв'язків л.Деркача та А.Деркача (Схема связей Деркачей)" [Scheme of possible connections L. Derkach and A. Derkach (Derkach Communications Scheme or Scheme of Derkach Spy Cell)]. «Украины Криминальной» (cripo.com.ua) (in Ukrainian). 26 June 2001. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021 – via compromat.ru.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ a b "ДИНОЗАВРЫ ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННОГО РЭКЕТА: Сева Могилевич" [DINOSAURS OF THE DOMESTIC RACKET: Seva Mogilevich]. «Украины Криминальной» (cripo.com.ua) (in Russian). 23 December 2004. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Schneider, Eberhard (20 February 2007). "Ukraine - gespalten zwischen Ost und West (Ukraine - divided between East and West)". Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (German Federal Agency for Civic Education). Retrieved 5 December 2019. (Translation of relevant paragraphs at Talk on page of Andrii Derkach, L. Derkach's son)
  4. ^ Прибыловский, Владимир (Pribylovsky, Vladimir) (28 June 2001). "КУЧМИСТЫ И БЕЗКУЧМИСТЫ: Кто есть кто на Украине в сравнении с Россией" [KUCHMISTS AND LANDLESS LEADERS: Who is who in Ukraine in comparison with Russia]. Независимая Газета (Nezavisimaya Gazeta) (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2 July 2001. Retrieved 29 June 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Ельцов, Олег (25 June 2001). "Из жизни Деркачей. Часть 3. Зарвавшиеся" [From the life of the Derkachs. Part 3. Overcome]. Украина криминальная (Crime Ukraine). Archived from the original on 3 July 2001. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d "Деркач Леонід Васильович" [Derkach Leonid Vasylovych]. Офіційна Україна сьогодні (Official Ukraine today) website (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d "Деркач Леонид Васильевич" [Derkach Leonid Vasylovych]. голос ua website (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Професійний коледж ракетно-космічного машинобудування Дніпропетровський національний університет імені Олеся Гончара: Історія коледжу" [Professional College of Rocket and Space Machine Building Oles Honchar Dnipropetrovsk National University: History of the College] (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  9. ^ Shuster, Simon (28 May 2021). "Exclusive: How an Accused Russian Agent Worked With Rudy Giuliani in a Plot Against the 2020 Election". Time. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "ДЕРКАЧ ЛЕОНІД ВАСИЛЬОВИЧ" [Derkach Leonid Vasylovych]. Державна митна служба України (State Customs Service of Ukraine) website (in Ukrainian). 22 December 2012. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  11. ^ a b Melnychenko, Mykola (2002). ""Who is Who on the Couch with Kuchma". booksonline.com.ua. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  12. ^ Sterbenz, Christina (1 December 2014). "The worst gangster most people have never heard of". Business Insider. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  13. ^ a b Kupchinsky, Roman (25 March 2009). "The Strange Ties between Semion Mogilevich and Vladimir Putin". Jamestown Foundation, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 6 Issue: 57. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  14. ^ a b Blake, Aaron (5 December 2019). "The murder story involving the 'Ukrainian Putin,' who just met with Rudy Giuliani". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  15. ^ Tyler, Patrick E. (12 February 2001). "Ukraine Rally Calls on Chief To Step Down". New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Днепропетровский клан: Так называемая "днепропетровская семья" начала формироваться еще в застойные времена" [Dnepropetrovsk clan: The so-called "Dnepropetrovsk family" began to form in stagnant times.]. FreeLance Bureau (flb.ru) (in Russian). 16 February 2002. Archived from the original on 3 April 2005. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  17. ^ "Case of Gongadze v. Ukraine". HUDOC - European Court of Human Rights. 8 February 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Деркач Леонід Васильович" [Derkach Leonid Vasylovych]. Верховнa Радa України (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine) website. Archived from the original on 25 January 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  19. ^ Dilanian, Ken; Lee, Carol E. (16 October 2020). "CIA, other spy agencies told White House about Rudy Giuliani's dealings with alleged Russian agents: The U.S. wasn't spying on Giuliani, but on people with whom he talked, including Andrii Derkach, identified by the Treasury Department as a Russian agent". NBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  20. ^ Tucker, Eric (16 October 2020). "Biden Email Episode Illustrates Risk to Trump From Giuliani: A New York tabloid's puzzling account about how it acquired emails purportedly from Joe Biden's son has raised some red flags". US News. Associated Press. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  21. ^ Walsh, Joe (16 October 2020). "Reports: FBI Probing If N.Y. Post's Hunter Biden Email Dump Was Part Of Foreign Influence Campaign". Forbes. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  22. ^ Walsh, Joe (15 October 2020). "'That's Rudy': Trump Reportedly Shrugged At Giuliani's Russia Ties". Forbes. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  23. ^ Умер экс-глава СБУ времен Кучмы Леонид Деркач: отец скандального нардепа (in Russian)

External links[edit]

Government offices
Preceded by Director of the Security Service of Ukraine
1998–2001
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the State Customs Service
1995–1998
Succeeded by