«Porto Mare» family: collaborators and victims of Russian occupants

In June 2024, Russian occupation authorities of Crimea conducted «nationalization» of Ukrainian property. Four star park hotel «Porto Mare» in Alushta has been among the most expensive assets. This story has clear signs of Russian war crime. It also demonstrates collaborative activity of Ukrainian founders of «Porto Mare» in Russian jurisdiction. They openly support Russian «special military operation», deliver financial and material assistance to the Russian Armed Forces whereas real owners of business – members of the family of brothers Vadym Vaispapir and Mykhailo Yevstratov – refuse to evaluate their activity (watch video version of investigation here).

Hotel complex «Porto Mare» with its beach, pools, SPA center and residential building is located in the center of Alushta. It occupies five hectares. It has been one of the best resort complexes of Crimea for decades.

Members of family of renowned Ukrainian businessmen brothers Vadym Vaispapir and Mykhailo Yevstratov are final beneficiaries of companies, registered as owners of the hotel. After the Russian occupation of Crimea, their Russian «clones» have been registered in the Russian jurisdiction, with Russian citizens as physical owners (i.e. Ukrainian citizens in Crimea who received Russian passports). Nevertheless, Crimean occupation authorities expropriated the hotel and accused its managers and owners of financing the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

It is ironic that under slogans of fighting Ukrainian «neo-Nazism», Russian occupants expropriated the assets of sons and grandsons of Arkadii Vaispapir, legendary organizer of the riot in Nazi death camp Sobibor.

This story has several dimensions. On the one hand, Russia violated international law and even its own legislation and stole the property of Ukrainians in occupied Crimea. We have investigated many cases of Russian illegal expropriation since the occupation of Crimea. Undoubtedly, the case of «Porto mare» is the war crime of Russia.

On the other hand, this story is about «collaborative» activity of Ukrainian citizens with Russian occupants. Last year, they received assets worth almost 5 billion Rubles in Russian jurisdiction. They recognized Crimea as «Russian territory», helped Russian occupation troops and made public statements in support of Russian «special military operation», i.e. the war of Russia against Ukraine. Their hotel has a slogan «Best Family Hotel of Russia». 

Who are the owners and managers of the hotel – victims of Russian war crimes or unlucky Russian collaborators? The investigation of the Center of Journalist Investigations attempts to answer this question.

Real and nominal owners

In 1961, Soviet style sanatorium with name «International resort center «Yunist» [Youth] has been built in Alushta. In 1990s, its privatization has been launched. Shares of its statutory capital were owned by Alushta City Council and collective enterprise «Yunist». In 2000s, LLC «Park hotel «Porto Mare» appeared as the new shareholder. In 2004, the Fund of State Property of Crimea conducted privatization of 49% of shares.

By 2010, former Soviet «Yunist» has been transformed into family hotel with the name «Porto Mare».

While being privatized, the resort complex has been managed by Oleksandr Mykolayovych Romanenko, former secretary of Leninski raion committee of komsomol (youth branch of the Communist Party of USSR). He has been manager of several sanatoriums and has worked as Deputy Prime Minister of Crimea for short time.

After the Russian occupation of Crimea, Romanenko received Russian citizenship and joined Russian chauvinist political party «Spravedlivaya Rossia» [Fair Russia].

His wife Olga Volodymyrivna Romanenko, resident of Alushta, controls 33,33% of shares in three Ukrainian companies, founders of «Porto Mare». 

Since 2010 until now, Mykhailo Eduardovych Bychenkov has been the manager of hotel and legal entity «Park hotel «Porto Mare XXI», registered in Ukrainian and Russian jurisdictions. He owns 6,7% of shares in Ukrainian companies-founders.

Under the management of Bychenkov, «Porto Mare» won three times the Russian Hospitality Awards in the nomination «Best Family Hotel of Russia». In 2022, his wife Olga Petrivna Bychenkova (maiden name – Moskalenko), born in Yalta, received the award. In 2015, she has been the winner of beauty contest «Queen of Crimea».

In 2023, real owners of «Porto Mare» transferred to her their controlling shares in companies-clones, registered in Russia. 

Now let us talk about real owner of this business. At the very beginning assets of hotel complex were owned by two LLC – «Park hotel «Porto Mare» and «Park hotel «Porto Mare XXI». They were founded by four legal entities, connected by common beneficiaries.

However, there are more companies affiliated with the hotel complex. For example, almost 60 apartments in the apartment complex, built on the territory of hotel, are owned by fuel company «Karlton traiding Ukraine». This company has the same final beneficiaries as «Porto Mare» does. They are brothers Vadym Vaispapir and Mykhailo Yevstratov.

Kyiv resident Vadym Arkadiyovych Vaispapir has diversified business in several spheres, mainly in agriculture and fuel and energy. He is the final beneficiary of over 40 companies. They include five biogas production factories, two sugar and alcohol factories. Land area of his holding «Gals agro» covers 40 thousand hectares.

«We are the third largest producers of turkey in Ukraine, we have pigs and cows. We cultivate beetroot, we have 40 thousand hectares of land in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions», as told Vadym Vaispapir in the interview to channel Andrey Zakrevskij last year. He agreed that his spirit factory in Gaisin was the largest in Ukraine.

Lidia Volovyk, the wife of Vadym Vaispapir, is also his business partner. They have three children. Two older – Oleg and Inna – have the surname of their mother whereas the youngest Davyd – the surname of father. The reasons are unknown.

All children are involved into family business. Oleg Vadymovych Volovyk and Davyd Vadymovych Vaispapir own the largest shares in companies-founders of «Porto Mare».

Mykhailo Arkadiyovych Yevstratov, the older brother and business partner of Vadym Vaispapir, will be 76 years old this year. He and his wife Alla Ivanivna Yevstratova are doctors. His wife has shares in two companies-founders of «Porto Mare».

Mykhailo Yevstratov posted a lot of photos of park-hotel in his social media accounts. He has often visited occupied Crimea. It seems that he is the only member of family who received Russian citizenship.

Ownership structures of LLC «Park hotel «Porto Mare» and «Park hotel «Porto Mare XXI»  are identical. Both companies have legal address in Alushta. Their founders – companies «ЮБК-2005», «Кримська рив’єра» and «Чорноморський бриз» have the same legal address in Kyiv – Laboratorny lane, 3. Many companies of Vaispapir and Yevstratov are also registered at this address.

Another shareholder with small share is the asset management company «IC-Holding». It is registered in Ivano-Frankivsk and owned by Igor Iluk. 

After the Russian occupation of Crimea, in 2015, owners of «Porto Mare» registered companies, clones of Ukrainian companies, in the Russian State Register of Legal Entities. Russian clones had the same founders. Thus, legal entities have functioned in both jurisdictions.

It is necessary to explain why it has been legal to do business in occupied Crime at that time.

Ukrainian oligarchs and corrupted public officials lobbied the adoption of the law about fake «Free economic zone «Crimea». It allowed Ukrainian companies conducting business on occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. Western countries banned its companies to do business there but President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine allowed Ukrainian companies…

As an outcome, Crimean chemical factories of oligarch Firtash supplied titanium dioxide from Zhytomyr ilmenite and soda to the Russian industry.

Stevedore company and grain terminal «Avlita» of oligarch Akhmetov in Sevastopol accepted ships, violating sanction regime of closed ports, and loaded grain for illegal export.

Agricultural empire of Kosuk «Friendship of people Nova» in Crimea supplied poultry, meat and fruits to Russian occupants.

Construction supermarkets of Gerega sold construction materials to the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.

Medvedchuk was going to drill wells on Black Sea shelf and exchanged Ukrainian permit for Russian one.  

Hotel «Porto Mare» has been successful during all years of the Russian occupation of Crimea. Its four Ukrainian companies-founders did not have «clones» in Russian jurisdiction until 2023.

Russian occupation government in Crimea provided support of «Porto Mare». Russian public officials and members of the «Crimean State Council» participated in events held by «Porto Mare» and greeted its successes.

«I thought about taking vacation for 10 days, visit «Porto Mare» and get medical treatment here», as told Oleksii Chernyak, member of occupation «State Council» of Crimea and later member of the Russian State Duma, at the opening of medical clinic in the hotel. 

«Porto Mare» won Russian contests and was proud of being «the best family hotel of Russia». It received construction permits from Russian occupation authorities and built apartment complex with 100 apartments. There is an opportunity to build more buildings for 300 apartments. Total hotel area is 5 hectares…

Let us underline that cooperation with Russian occupation authorities in Crimea has been allowed by the Ukrainian law on free economic zone «Crimea».

In the summer 2021, on the eve of the first summit of Crimean platform, President of Ukraine Zelenskyy enacted laws cancelling free economic zone and amending legislation about Ukrainian territories, occupied by Russia.

Since November 21, 2021, it has been forbidden for Ukrainian companies to invest into Crimea. Unfortunately, penalties for breaching this ban and sanctions have not been introduced. As an outcome, it is not surprising that activity of «Porto Mare» has not changed significantly since 2021.

The Russian full scale invasion into Ukraine turned the table. Criminal responsibility for collaboration with Russian occupants was introduced.

At the beginning, «Porto Mare» did not react and did business as usual. Four Ukrainian legal entities remained its founders. Hotel worked, received profits and paid taxes to the aggressor. In 2022, over 17 million Rubles of taxes were paid by two companies of «Porto Mare», in accordance with their open financial reports.

In December 2022, Yuri Gotsanuk, the head of Russian occupation government of Crimea, sent a letter to Russian Minister of Finances Anton Siluanov. The Minister has been also the head of Russian governmental commission on control over foreign investments.

Gotsanuk asked for the permission for Ukrainian legal entities to leave LLC «Park hotel «Porto Mare» and «Park hotel «Porto Mare XXI» as founders and to transfer their shares to Russian citizens.

«This deal is necessary for further effective work of the Hotel… The Council of Ministries of Crimea supports the implementation of this deal by the Hotel», as explained Gotsanuk.

The transfer of shares has been conducted as a gift, i.e. Ukrainian companies and their beneficiaries donated their shares to Russian citizens.

Who were the recipients of their charitable contribution? In accordance with the Russian State Register of Legal Entities, already mentioned Oleksandr Romanenko received 33,3% of shares, previously owned by his wife Olga Romanenko in Ukrainian companies. Olga Bychenkova received 67% of statutory capital. Her husband remained the director of company. All of them are Ukrainian citizens who voluntary received Russian citizenship after the occupation of Crimea.

Expropriation

However, once favorable attitude of Russian occupants towards «Porto Mare» drastically changed to the opposite this year. 

On April 23, 2024, Crimean occupation government approved the Order about compulsory buyout of three companies, owners of hotel complex «Porto Mare», for the needs of the Republic of Crimea, «under fair reimbursement of its value».

Temporary administration, headed by Moscow resident Kiril Morozov, has been introduced into seven companies, related to the activity of the hotel.

On April 29, 2024, Morozov with other people entered the hotel, showed «governmental Order» to the management and seized business documents, stamps and electronic signatures of companies-owners.

Romanenko and Bychenkova announced illegal seizure of the hotel, submitted the lawsuit to the court and application about crime to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and sent complaints to the Head of the Russian Federal Security Service, General Prosecutor’s Office and – Vladimir Putin.

«When special military operation started, we understood that you, the President of Russia, acted right and we, as patriots of our country, fully supported your policy. We actively supported special military operation and rendered material and financial assistance. We guarantee that we never financed the Armed Forces of Ukraine», as wrote Olga Bychenkova and Oleksandr Romanenko in their open letter to Putin.

Their efforts did not bring any results. In two weeks after illegal seizure, «Porto Mare» has been expropriated. At the beginning of June 2024, its assets were listed among governmental assets of the Republic of Crimea. We covered numerous cases of illegal expropriation of Ukrainian assets in Crimea in our investigations.

«It was found out that park hotel «Porto Mare» conducts financial transactions with legal entities, registered in Ukraine and founded by Vadym Vaispapir, Ukrainian citizen, who supports criminal Kyiv regime and sponsors the Armed Forces of Ukraine», as says the announcement of the Committee on Property and Land Relations of the occupation «State Council» of Crimea.

Collaborators from «Porto Mare» and attitude of real owners

The management of «Porto Mare» vehemently rejected accusations of financing the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They described in detail their support of the «special military operation» on their website and in an interview:

• They delivered hundreds of blankets, towels and bed linens to the military hospital in Sevastopol and headquarters of Russian political party «United Russia». They sent money for the needs of military hospital
• They collected money and cloths for refugees from a zone of «special military operation»

They accommodated families of participants of special military operation, upon the request of Crimean government. 

We found more information about their support of Russian occupants in the publication on website of Russian TV company «Tsargrad», owned by Russian Orthodox oligarch Malofeev. It says that in 2014, hotel «Porto Mare» gave 200 places for the accommodation of personnel of special units of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. These units guarded so-called «Russian Spring» in Crimea, i.e. Russian occupation of Crimean peninsula.

Website of «Tsargrad» posted the letter of gratitude to «Porto Mare» from medical special purpose unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense «Ursus». It follows that the hotel delivered more valuable assistance to Russian «special military operation» than towels and linens:

«It is hard to underestimate the role of your company for the destiny of wounded soldiers. You acquired and delivered necessary equipment. It significantly improved the treatment and first medical aid. We highly appreciate your care about the health of people and your desire to make valuable contribution to our common victory».

The letter is signed by Yevgenii Aleksandrovich Runov (call sign «Pastor»), commander of «Ursus». He has served in the Russian Armed Forces since 2005. He participated in Russian «special operations» abroad, including the Russian war against Ukraine. He calls these operations «assistance to brotherly republics».

«Ursus» is part of so-called «Voluntary Assault Corps», acting under the umbrella of quasi-private military company «Redut». «Redut» is under full control of the Main Intelligence Department of the General Staff of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

We covered PMC «Redut» in our investigation of voluntary corps «Bears» (it has training premises in Crimea).

Thus, «Porto Mare» provided assistance to the Russian military unit under the control of the Russian Main Intelligence Department.

It seems that managers of «Porto Mare» and «Ursus» established mutually beneficial relations. After the illegal seizure, «Porto Mare» has been represented by lawyer Dmitrii Vadimovich Checherin. He is quoted by Russian media; his contacts are given on the website about seizure of hotel.

As we found out, Checherin is the member of ‘Ursus» (call sign «Lawyer»).

«There are «Lawyer» and «Axe» in the team of «Ursus». «Lawyer» has managed legal work in the unit since the beginning of the special military operation», as said soldiers of «Ursus» in their video.

However, photos of Checherin cast into doubt his status of non-combatant. For example, we see Checherin with weapons in Bakhmut…

Vadym Vaispapir refused to comment on expropriation of his assets and actions of director and nominal founders of park hotel. He said he did not want «to harm people». That is to say, he does want to harm collaborators, who support the war of Russia against Ukraine and help the Russian Armed Forces..

Davyd Vaispapir said he has been busy and «let us talk on Monday». 

Oleg Volovyk, older son of Vadym Vaispapir, also did not want to do harm to collaborators. We asked him whether managers of the hotel discussed their support of «special military operation» with him as the final beneficiary.

He said: «Since 2014 I have nominally some weight there but it has not been ours for long time. We have de facto no relations».

He also stated that since 2014 «we have not communicated with people from that side».

Let us remind Oleg Volovyk that he had 40% share in LLC «Chornomorsky bryz». This company has been founder of the hotel in Russian jurisdiction until April 2023.

Mykhailo Yevstratov posted many photos of «Porto Mare» after 2014. They refute Volovyk’s statement «we have not communicated with people from that side».

Yevstratov family was not alone to travel to Crimea, occupied by Russia. In accordance with hacked data of Russian service sirena-travel.ru, on June 16, 2016, person with name Vaispapir Vadym Arkadjevych (data of the passport of Ukrainian citizen coincide) flew from closed airport «Simferopol» to airport «Domodedovo» in Moscow. He violated Ukrainian legislation about closed state border of Ukraine.

 

Do actions of managers and founders of Russian legal entities «Park hotel «Porto Mare» demonstrate signs of collaborative activity with Russian occupants? We believe that they do.

Did they act voluntary or upon the permission or order of legitimate owners? It is unknown.

However, it is clear that buyout of assets of Ukrainian legal entities for the benefit of Russian citizens would not be possible without participation of beneficiaries of Ukrainian companies.

We hope that Ukrainian law enforcement bodies will thoroughly examine presented information and make grounded conclusions.