Ukrainian “Tough Guy” Fails At Republican Influence Move

In the chaos that was post Soviet Russia and its satellites, many people of questionable ethics emerged from the Bolshevik ooze.

When Viktor Yanukovych fled Ukraine he was said to have stolen $100 billion from the Ukrainian people. I hope the elites fleeing #Afghanistan are held to account for any corruption they may have committed, and not allowed to expropriate large sums. #Kabul

— MikeinAZ (@mikein_az) August 15, 2021

One of the low functioning parasites was Pavel Fuks (sometimes spelled Fuchs). No, we’re not making up the name. Fuks is a creature of reflected glory. He claims highly placed associates and in Ukraine may still have them. He may even have them in the Russian FSB, successor to the KGB. But his claims to influence in political circles in the US and supposedly financial and fundraising clout are only based on old brief meetings and instant photo snaps.

Even a claim to an association with former president Trump seems extremely dubious. When challenged on his assertions, Fuks has become wild and ad hominem, as evidenced by his attack against American attorney, fundraiser, lobbyist, and political analyst Yuri Vanetik.

Just who is Pavel Fuks and what is his association to those of actual influence? Various publications have noted the details. Let’s look into it, shall we?

The Washington Times reports, “Mr. Fuks, born in the city of Kharkiv, was involved in the initial financing and development of the notorious ‘Moscow City’ construction project in the Russian capital, attaining the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of MosCityGroup. To finance the planned mega development, Mr. Fuks allegedly borrowed money from Russian criminal syndicates. However, after the financial crisis of 2008, the project floundered and Fuks could not handle the debt service, prompting him to flee to Ukraine where he reemerged as a low-level shill for the fugitive Yanukovych cabinet safe harbored in the Russian Federation. Perhaps Russian influencers allowed Fuks to flee and prosper in Ukraine because of his usefulness inside Ukraine for them or their FSB handlers.”

Issues & Insights puts it this way, “In 2015 BTA Bank, a major bank based in Kazakhstan, filed a lawsuit against Pavel Fuks, and eventually won over $50 million against him. Three Ukrainian media outlets, including Chronicals, have detailed Pavel Fuks’ alleged involvement in heroin trafficking into Europe.”

So, you’re getting a sense of the guy. Implicated in a plethora of nefarious activities, his alleged FSB connections and relationship with Ukrainian politicians seems to have given him actual clout in those halls of power.

Former Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov is a player in this dark scenario. As the Kiev Post reports, “Avakov is the longest-serving minister in the country’s history. Appointed 7.5 years ago as an interim in the spring of 2014, he survived government reshuffles under Poroshenko and retained his seat under President Volodymyr Zelensky,” until his recent resignation.

‘I have known Pavel Fuks for 25 years, since back in Kharkiv, when he was just an ordinary guy. Now we meet more often because he moved to Kyiv, he used to live in Moscow. Sometimes he calls me and we meet,’ Avakov once said in a 2018 interview. Journalists filmed Fuks’ cars coming to the Interior Ministry several times; Fuks said he was taking up a ‘private matter’ on the visits.” Oh, but nothing fishy there. Nah, just your average run of the mill post Soviet satrapy abyss of corruption. Nothing to see, move along.

And in American Greatness piece, this comes out. “In an interview with Bloomberg News in Kiev, Fuks said he hosted Trump children, Donald and Ivanka, in 2006. Fuks left Moscow for the Ukraine in 2015 and either renounced his citizenship or lost his citizenship after he was criminally charged with fraud by Russia.”

Fuks apparently attempted to renew his alleged “relationship” with Trump by attending the Trump inauguration. He sued Vanetik, claiming Vanetik and his team did not deliver the promised VIP events at the Trump inauguration. However foreign nationals are banned from buying tickets from presidential inauguration committees and Fuks did not end up attending the restricted inauguration events. Vanetik, a Washington insider, denies promising Fuks inaugural tickets or influencing Fuks’  U.S. visa revocation after his falling out with Vanetik.

He has said the money Fuks paid his consulting firm related to work he, “did at Fuks’ behest, and that he had offered to help Fuks attend an inaugural ball, not the inauguration itself.” Vanetik has responded to Fuks by suing him under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO act) in a California court. Vanetik alleges Fuks is ‘an agent of Russian intelligence.” Vanetik, a seasoned player in international politics, does not make these charges lightly.

Says Vanetik, “Fuks’ claims are fabricated. He’s a likely informant for FSB who by account engages in extortion and harassment on a regular basis. Even for the post Soviet environment, Fuks is an anachronism, an early 90s gangster with a strange “Boardwalk Empire” retro style that is embarrassing. He’s tried to use that outdated tough guy act in the West. It hasn’t worked. He just hasn’t evolved.

“By studying Mr. Fuks and his cohorts, we can appreciate how corrupt Ukrainian fixers and oligarchs are continuing their efforts to curry favors with American politicians while infiltrating our political establishment…We can see that finally Ukraine is deploying effective measures to curtail Yanukovych era corruption and Russian influence. Old political puffery that espouses the sanctity of human rights, fair play and free market economy has given way to real enforcement of Ukraine’s rule of law. It is commendable that Ukraine is finally taking a stance against kleptocracy and its expeditors,” explains Vanetik.