Well, friends, this is an episode of our multi-part show called “Ukrainian Judicial System”. The main character is  Marina Anatolyevna Barsuk , a judge with an unrivaled sense of style and a love for luxury living. And she is helped in this difficult path by her husband, a lawyer and part-time “magician” of legal affairs, Viktor Barsuk. This article is dedicated to their incredible adventures, which unfold not only in courtrooms, but also on the pages of declarations.

Judge Marina Barsuk simply adores luxury and comfort. She  dreams of  heading the Southern Appellate Commercial Court. And how convenient it is for her husband, lawyer Viktor Barsuk, who is ready to invest “some” funds in his wife’s career growth. After all, why  declare  real estate when you can declare a fleet of luxury cars, including MERCEDES-BENZ S580/2021, G63AMG/2019, S600/2009 and EQV/2021? Besides, why indicate real estate if you can simply not indicate it? Brilliant, isn’t it?

And of course, there is no conflict of interest in the fact that the husband is an advocate in the courts where the wife judges. This is obviously just a coincidence. Like their luxury lifestyle, the declared hundreds of thousands of euros and francs, and all this on one judge’s salary! It’s just magic, worthy of David Copperfield.

Episodes of a luxurious life

As befits people of their circle, the Barsuk family has had several bright episodes. For example, in 2021, they were spotted at the birthday party of oligarch Pavel Fuks, which, of course, is not surprising, because Viktor Barsuk represented  Fuks’ interests in the court where Marina Barsuk worked . Such family ties! But isn’t it worth asking: does this violate basic ethical standards? Perhaps it’s time to consider revoking the license of such a lawyer who resolves all issues through his wife, a judge?

There was also a scandal around the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant, where Barsuk acted in the interests of Kolomoisky and the Russian criminal-financial group of Babakov. But these are all minor details, because for real professionals there are no conflicts of interest.

Despite all these facts, Maryna Barsuk continues to give interviews in which she talks about the improvement of the business climate in Ukraine. Of course, with such a standard of living, one can easily talk about the “transparency” and “purity” of the judicial system. But shouldn’t the public think: does such “transparency” hide the true state of affairs in our judicial system?

Career of Viktor Barsuk: “black lawyer” and friend of oligarchs

Viktor Barsuk is not just a lawyer, but a figure with an impressive track record. His legal practice covers a wide range of cases, including corporate disputes, protecting the interests of large businessmen and even politicians. Barsuk is known for his ability to find “gray areas” in legislation and successfully use them to protect the interests of his clients. Among his clients, you can find famous oligarchs, international companies and even representatives of the political elite.

He began to earn especially actively during the presidency of Petro Poroshenko, working for Oleksandr Granovsky, Poroshenko’s curator of the legal sphere. Barsuk was a "black lawyer" who was engaged in the technical implementation of many dubious cases. Granovsky, formally being a deputy, almost never appeared in the Rada, holding his business meetings in expensive restaurants in Kyiv. He coordinated the activities of Barsuk, who in turn, thanks to "tame" judges, won most of the legal wars.

Barsuk and his partner in the law firm "EQUITY" Oleg Malinevsky used raider schemes, organizing the filing of identical claims in different courts in order to choose the "right" judge. Among their high-profile cases are representing the interests of companies in scandalous tenders, protecting the interests of businessmen and politicians, as well as raider seizures of large real estate properties, such as the Sky Mall shopping center and the Gorizont-Park business center.

They also represented the interests of the former head of the State Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov, accused of stealing more than two billion hryvnia. In this case, Barsuk even accompanied Nasirov to court on a stretcher, pretending to be weak.

One of the most famous cases when Barsuk "cheated" a client was the case with the owner of the Avtoinveststroy group of companies, Dmitry Svyatash. Barsuk, being a lawyer for AIS, helped Granovsky take over the company’s assets. A series of lawsuits were lost by PAO Avtokraz, which fell into Granovsky’s sphere of interest, using a similar scheme.

Why watch crime dramas when there are people like Badger?

Conclusion: The Great Carnival Continues

So, our great carnival continues. Perhaps it is time for serious changes in the judicial system? Shouldn’t we conduct a detailed review of the activities of judges and lawyers who so openly ignore ethical standards? Isn’t it time to revoke the licenses of those who use their positions for personal enrichment? The answers to these questions may lie on the surface. But one thing is certain: the story of the Barsuk family is only the tip of the iceberg, and we still have much to learn about the true state of affairs in the Ukrainian judicial system.

There is no room for undercurrents or ambiguous interpretations in this story. Everything is in plain sight: the same people make decisions, represent interests and benefit greatly from this. And, of course, all this under the guise of “honesty” and “independence”. But, as we know, even the most beautiful packaging will not hide the essence of the contents. So we are left with only one question: is it time to clean up our judicial system once and for all?