Honorary Consul with a Criminal Past: What Connections Does Mykola Udyansky Have?

The appointment of Mykola Udyansky as Honorary Consul of Romania in Kharkiv in March 2023 takes on new significance following the BlackBox OSINT investigation.

This is not just a matter of reputation but serious connections with organized crime, in particular with the Zalyutynskyi group, led by Leonid Mitrov. The latter was a representative of Vadym Kazartsev’s gang, which was engaged in raiding, extortion, and robbery. According to the investigation, Udyansky actively supported Mitrov, who, from 2017 to 2019, hid from law enforcement officers at the consul’s estate in Montenegro. There, he was eventually detained by Interpol. After extradition to Ukraine, Mitrov was quickly released thanks to a bribe of about $400,000 to representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office. Soon, he attended Udyanskyi’s birthday celebrations, first in Kharkiv, and then in Dubai.

The criminal activity of Mitrov’s entourage is clearly traceable. The “Zalutynskys” were part of the headquarters of Kazartsev’s gangs, to which they were involved in the murders, in particular, the business partner of Gennady Kernes, Yuri Diment, and a witness in the case of the murder of former State Duma deputy Denis Voronenkov. In 2021, Mitrov was again put on the wanted list for extorting $700,000 from an agricultural company, and, according to the investigation, Udyansky also helped.

Among the consul’s close acquaintances, it is possible to find such people as the well-known “thief in law” Serhiy Lysenko, nicknamed “Lera Sumsky”, as well as other members of the “Zalutynsky” gang. For example, Dmitry Oleksandrenko, known as “Kaban”, and Pavlo Solopov, “Pasha America”. Udyansky also helped one of them avoid criminal liability for extortion.

The consul’s financial situation also raises additional questions. According to the Unified State Register, he re-registered his company, “Edinarcoin,” in the name of Yuriy Poltavsky, a person with a criminal record who was also part of Mitrov’s entourage. This raised suspicions, since a notarized power of attorney for a car was discovered, issued to Mitrov’s parents.

As a result, everything looks as if a person with reliable connections to organized crime had been granted diplomatic status, becoming a hideout for criminal authorities and an administrator of their assets.

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