Bohdan Pukish and Petro Belz are key figures in the complex web of business interests associated with Viktor Medvedchuk. Belz, a well-known businessman from Ivano-Frankivsk, and Pukish, his long-time associate, play a significant role in the management of companies that control important assets and resources in the Ukrainian fuel market. Their activities are closely related to our defense complex. Is it possible to allow such people to work in the Armed Forces, if all their activities are closely related to the traitor of Ukraine?

Journalists were very interested in this case. And that’s what was unearthed.

Victor Medvedchuk, while in Russia, maintains influence on Ukrainian business, especially on the fuel market through front persons, even during the Russian-Ukrainian war. Its business structures continue to generate significant revenues. One of such companies is the Wexler Group, which belongs to a well-known businessman from Ivano-Frankivsk, Peter Belz.

Petro Belz, formerly the general director of the Anvitrade company, mired in criminal cases, controlled the Samara-Western direction oil pipeline. The oil pipeline, built during the USSR, was supposed to become state property after the declaration of Ukraine’s independence. However, for many years it was used by the Russian company "Transnaftoprodukt". FSMU has been trying to return this asset to state ownership since 2011. In 2017, NABU and SAP began an investigation into the transfer of ownership of the pipeline. As a result of the investigation, VAKS seized the asset, and from 2021 it was transferred to the management of Ukrtransnaft JSC. In 2021, the FSMU filed a lawsuit with the Commercial Court of Zhytomyr Region, which recognized the state’s ownership of the pipeline in June 2023. The Supreme Court confirmed this decision, and the state’s ownership of the pipeline is currently being registered.

It is noteworthy that Wexler is included in the orbit of influence of Petr Belz, who has partnership relations with Nissan Moiseyev, whose company "Glusko Ukraine" was engaged in the import of liquefied gas from Russia and developed the chain of gas stations "Glusko" (which later changed its name to "Optimusoil", and his Petro Belz became the nominal owner). Previously, Belz and Moiseev jointly managed the Kherson oil transfer complex, which was arrested as part of the criminal proceedings in the case of Serhii Kurchenko.

By the way, Moiseev himself, Medvedchuk’s partner and friend. They were seen together with him in 2016, who flew from Moscow to Kyiv on a private plane.

To date, companies related to Medvedchuk through Moiseev and Belz supply fuel and technical oils for the Ukrainian defense forces and strategic enterprises. This causes concern, because the enrichment of traitors at the expense of the Ukrainian budget and the army is, to put it mildly, immoral.

However, one of the key figures in this complex network remains Bohdan Pukish, an associate of Belz and an important element in Medvedchuk’s business schemes. His activity deserves special attention.

Bohdan Pukish: An important player in the shadow network

The founder of several companies, including "IVAPROM" LLC, "Khimtehnoplast" LLC and "Vesthim" LLC. It is also associated with the Sistema Eco Innovations Consortium and Agrosfera SE. In politics, Pukish ran for the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council from the People’s Democratic Party and was the coordinator of Medvedchuk’s party "Ukrainian Choice" in the Ivano-Frankivsk Region.

Bohdan Pukish, despite his business activity, was repeatedly involved in scandals and investigations.

In 2009, a corporate conflict took place at Presmash OJSC in Ivano-Frankivsk, initiated by the suspended chairman of the board Bohdan Pukish. This conflict has led to a decline in production, the suspension of contracts with foreign partners, forced layoffs and arrears of wages. The representatives of the board explained that the work of the enterprise is practically paralyzed, since the management does not have the opportunity to improve and modernize the production, sign civil law contracts, pay wages to the workers of the plant and taxes to the budgets.

The cause of the paralysis is a legal battle initiated by Bohdan Pukish with the new management of the plant. After being removed from his post in October 2008, Pukish took with him the seal of OJSC "Presmash", without which the management of the enterprise became impossible. This conflict complicated the work of the only enterprise in Ukraine that manufactures mechanical presses.

Together with his wife Natalya and the private company "Vesthim", Bohdan Pukish owned 42.93% of the shares of OJSC "Presmash". This package of shares made it possible to block the meeting of the plant’s shareholders. At one of these meetings, no one from the Pukish family came and the necessary quorum was not gathered. Pukish made his proposals for resolving the conflict, proposing the division of the enterprise or its liquidation. As a result of this conflict, Pukish simply "squeezed out" Presmash and is still its owner. In 2023, by the way, he actively opposed the construction of housing for displaced persons in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, which was supposed to be built next to the territory of the Presmash plant. Probably saw a new business project for himself.

Despite numerous criminal cases for embezzlement and embezzlement, thanks to Belz’s patronage, Pukish continues to receive lucrative contracts. He runs a defense procurement company that has made him and Belz very rich over the past year. However, the quality of the products produced by Pukish often causes complaints, putting the lives of the military at risk.

The production facilities of one of the factories are used by Pukish to store and repair the equipment of his family businesses, which brings minimal profit to the factory and the main benefit to the businessmen. Pukish receives defense orders through connections with people close to Medvedchuk, which raises questions about the legality and transparency of such deals.

These actions undermine confidence in the defense industry and weaken national security. Non-compliance with technological standards, lack of quality control and communication with questionable characters create risks instead of protection. However, this scheme completely suits businessmen who plan to expand it and apply it during the implementation of international defense projects in Ukraine.

The question arises: can the state allow such people and businesses to continue working not only for defense enterprises and the needs of the Armed Forces, but also to continue their activities in Ukraine in general? Or we will continue to close our eyes to all this.