Burisma

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Burisma Holdings Limited
Founded2002
FounderMykola Zlochevsky
DefunctFebruary 16, 2023 (2023-02-16)[1]
Headquarters,
Key people
Mykola Zlochevsky (President)
Taras Burdeinyi (CEO)[2]
Alan Apter (Chairman)
[3][4]
ProductsNatural gas
ServicesDrilling
OwnerBrociti Investments Limited
SubsidiariesBurisma Services
Aldea
Esko-Pivnich
Persha Ukrainska Naftogazova Kompaniya
GasOilInvest
KUB-Gas
Naftogaz Garant
Naftogazopromyslova geologiya
Pari
Nadragas
Nadragasvydobuvannya
SystemOilEngineering
Tehnokomservis

Burisma Holdings Limited (

Ukrainian oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky through his company Brociti Investments Limited (Ukrainian
: Бросіті Інвестментс Лімітед).

Burisma's subsidiaries included Esko-Pivnich, Pari, Persha Ukrainska Naftogazova Kompaniya, Naftogaz Garant, KUB-Gas and Astroinvest-Ukraine.[8][9][10]

History

Burisma was founded in 2002.

Delaware Corporation, which in 2004 acquired Ukrainian companies Esko-Pivnich (Ukrainian: Еско-Північ) and Pari (Ukrainian: Парі), which owned natural gas exploration licences.[14] In 2009, shares in these companies were transferred to Millington Solutions Limited.[14] However, shortly thereafter Millington ceased to exist, at which point Burisma claimed ownership of those two companies. In 2012, Persha Ukrainska Naftogazova Kompaniya (First Ukrainian Oil and Gas Company, Ukrainian: Перша Українська нафтогазова компанія), Naftogaz Garant (Oil and Gas Guarantee, Ukrainian: Нафтогаз гарант), and KrymTopEnergoServis (CrimeaTopEnergoService, Ukrainian: Кримтопенергосервіс) became a part of the Burisma Group.[15][16][17]

In 2014, Burisma signed a cooperation agreement with

hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fleets.[19] In 2017, it bought a 3,000-horsepower Service King Manufacturing SK 3000 drilling rig for $40 million (USD); it was the most powerful drilling rig in Eastern Europe at the time.[20]

In February 2016, Burisma acquired a 70% stake in KUB-Gas (КУБ-Газ).[8] In 2017, it bought a majority stake in Diloretio Holdings Limited, a company which owned Ukrainian gas companies SystemOilEngineering (Ukrainian: Системойлинжиниринг), Naftogazopromyslova geologiya, (Oil and Gas Industrial Geology, Ukrainian: Нафтогазпромислова геологія), and Tehnokomservis (TechnoComService, Ukrainian: Технокомсервіс).[21] Also in 2017, Burisma bought Nadragasvydobuvannya (Subsoil Gas Extraction, Ukrainian: Надрагазвидобування)[22] and GasOilInvest (Гасоілінвест).[23] In April 2019, Burisma acquired Astroinvest Ukraine (Астроінвест-Україна), a natural gas trader.[9]

In 2015, Burisma was one of the founders of the International Forum on Energy Security for the Future and partnered the Electric Marathon.[24] In 2017, it signed a partnership agreement with the Atlantic Council to promote anti-corruption measures.[25][26]

In the

a pressure campaign by Trump and associates to push the Ukrainian government to announce an investigation of the younger Biden's role with Burisma, culminating in Trump's impeachment and acquittal.[28] Republicans hoped to use the Burisma allegations to tarnish Biden's 2020 Presidential campaign, but an investigation by the Republican-controlled Senate Homeland Security and Finance Committees shortly before the 2020 presidential election concluded that there was no evidence of improper influence or wrongdoing by Joe Biden.[29]

Operations

Burisma's primary operations were in Ukraine, supplemented by activities in Germany, Mexico, Italy, and Kazakhstan.

Kuban Basins.[8][11] Exploration and production activities were carried out at eight sites in five regions.[30] Burisma also provided natural gas well services, including hydraulic fracturing.[19] In 2019, Burisma planned to build a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plant in Kharkiv with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes per year.[10]

In 2016, Burisma was the second largest privately owned natural gas producer in Ukraine after DTEK,[7] accounting for 26% of all natural gas produced by privately owned companies and more than 5% of total gas production in Ukraine.[7][31] According to the company, it produced 1.3 billion cubic metres (4.6×1010 cubic feet) of natural gas in Ukraine in 2018.[11]

In Kazakhstan, the company provided

Urikhtau gas field.[32] In Italy, Burisma developed three geothermal power projects in partnership with Gesto Investimento e Gestão.[32]

Burisma's subsidiary Esko-Pivnich operates in the Kharkiv Oblast, and Pari operates in Western Ukraine (Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi oblasts).[33] KUB-Gas operates in Luhansk Oblast,[8] GasOilInvest in Poltava Oblast,[23] and Nadragasvydobuvannya in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.[34] Burisma also owned KrymTopEnergoServis, a company which leased three gas deposits in Crimea.[17][33][35] However, after annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, KrymTopEnergoServis ceased operation as Burisma subsidiary.[35]

Corporate matters

Ownership

Burisma Holdings was owned by Brociti Investments Limited, a

Ihor Kolomoisky.[37] Kolomoisky had a “controlling interest” in Burisma.[39][40]

Management

President of the Republic of Poland, was appointed to the board in January 2014.[41][42]

Taras Burdeinyi was the

counter-terrorism (2002–2004), was appointed to the board.[43] Karina Zlochevska, daughter of Mykola Zlochevskiy, was also appointed in February 2016.[3][4]

In April 2014, Devon Archer, a former senior adviser to the John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign, and Hunter Biden, an attorney and the son of then-US vice president Joe Biden, joined the board.[41][44] Archer left the company in 2018[citation needed] and Hunter Biden left in April 2019, when his term as a director expired.[11]

Financial results

Burisma Holdings does not disclose its financial results.[11][19] It has been calculated, based on a minimal natural gas price, that the company's revenue in 2018 may have totaled at least US$400 million.[11]

Investigations

In April 2014, the

Geoffrey Pyatt gave a speech in which he called out Ukrainian prosecutors for failing to cooperate with the investigation.[46]

Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and

hryvnias (US$7.44 million) of taxes to avoid further criminal proceedings.[11][30] A criminal investigation was conducted if natural resources extraction licenses were issued to Burisma subsidiaries legally during the period Zlochevsky held government office. Although violations of the procedure were established by NABU, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office missed procedural deadlines for a lawsuit and the case for nullifying licenses was dismissed by the court.[48] In October 2019, Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka announced that all 15 investigation cases will be reviewed.[47]

In January 2024, John Buretta (an American lawyer and former U.S. Deputy Assistant Attorney General, who was one of the key attorneys on Zlochevskyi’s defense team) retroactively filed a Foreign Agents Registration Act document for work done on behalf of Burisma and Zlochevsky in 2016. According to Buretta's law firm, the decision to file the disclosure 8 years after the fact came "after a discussion with the DOJ."[49]

After the

Crocus City Hall Terror Attack in Moscow, Russia’s Investigative Committee, which is the primary federal investigating authority of Russia, opened a criminal case on the suspected involvement of Western officials in terrorism financing. On 9. April 2024, the Investigative Committee announced it found that funds received through commercial organizations, in particular Burisma, have been used to carry out terrorist acts.[50][51][52][53]

See also

References

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