Vasyl Khmelnytsky, founder of UFuture, refutes information about investment activity in Crimea
We ask the media representatives to refrain from disseminating manipulative false information about the activities of UFuture’s founder Vasyl Khmelnytsky published by the websites of «Current Time» («Настоящее время) and the «Municipal Scanner» («Муниципальный сканнер») in the publication with title «Zastroyshchik Simferopolya, lider IT Kiyeva. Ukrainskiy biznesmen Vasiliy Khmel’nitskiy i yego aktivy v Krymu» («Застройщик Симферополя, лидер IT Киева. Украинский бизнесмен Василий Хмельницкий и его активы в Крыму»).
The information in the above article is false. The authors of the so-called «investigation» have distorted certain facts and thus misinform readers. We refute information about Vasyl Khmelnytsky’s alleged involvement in the management and investment in the Crimean assets after Russia’s annexation of the peninsula.
Vasyl Khmelnytsky gave clear and honest answers to the editorial staff of «Current Time» upon the request from journalist Grigory Pyrlik signed by the director of «Current Time» TV channel Pavlo Butorin on March 28, 2019.
«We weren’t ready to simply give away our liquid assets to outsiders. The negotiation and the sale process took considerable time because of the obvious risks involved. In 2018, we sold all the corporate rights of our European companies, which in turn owned corporate rights or had a significant impact on assets located in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine — Crimea. We haven’t made any investments that would violate the sanctions regime or the current legislation of Ukraine,» Vasyl Khmelnytsky commented on the false publication.
Sale of any asset depends on the demand. The assets referred to are a sizable investment, and their divestment bore significant risks. Finding buyers for such properties isn’t easy, and the sales process itself took a long time. But the decision to sell the assets was made immediately after the annexation of Crimea.
To corroborate these statements, it’s easy to find archival news publications dated 2014, which state that Vasyl Khmelnytsky, shareholder of UDP, put up for sale shopping mall «Meganom» (Simferopol, Crimea).
After Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, Vasyl Khmelnytsky never invested in the development of business and/or infrastructure at the temporarily occupied territory, and didn’t manage the assets that partly belonged to him at the time.
We urge media representatives who have published the manipulative material of the above-mentioned sources to refute it, and, in the future to inquire press service of the holding company UFuture for reliable information about Vasyl Khmelnytsky’s activities.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
UFuture is a holding company of Ukrainian entrepreneur Vasyl Khmelnytsky that integrates his business and impact-investment projects. The company has a diversified portfolio of assets in the fields of real estate, infrastructure, industry, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and IT. Currently, UFuture’s assets are estimated at $550 million, and the total capitalization of the businesses it invested in is more than $1 billion.
UFuture is a majority shareholder in UDP development company (specializing in large infrastructure projects), Kyiv Sikorsky International Airport (the second international airport in Ukraine by passenger traffic), national operator of outdoor advertising RTM-Ukraine, and a group of IT companies and an ecosystem of tech solutions ITernal. UFuture is a strategic investor in the pharmaceutical company Biopharma and UDP Renewables, renewable energy investment and development company. UFuture is also developing new business projects including UNIT.City innovation parks in Kyiv and Kharkiv, LvivTech.City in Lviv; Bila Tserkva industrial park and a manufacturer of modern electrotechnical systems, Plank Electrotechnic.
UFuture supports social projects in the fields of education and economics, including the Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF), Lean Institute Ukraine, UNIT School of Business, UNIT Factory innovative IT-schools in Kyiv and Kharkiv, INDAX accelerator, Novopecherska School, the all-Ukrainian online platform iLearn, K.Fund Books and #bestread publishing projects.
UFuture’s mission is to secure global connectivity of Ukraine by including the country’s economy and talent into international value chains where the economy and human capital of the state will play an important role.