The mansion of Marina Zhuravlyova, the wife of the former head of the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine Victor Sivets, has become the residence of the Ambassador of Armenia, reports the Ukrainian Наші гроші pablication, entitling the article “The Mansion of the Forester of Yanukovych has become Inviolable: the Ambassador of Armenia has made it his Residence.”
The article notes that in the Register of the Establishment of Property Rights it is mentioned that Zhuravlyova owns 29, 31 and 33 buildings and mansions on Michurin Street in Kiev.
The largest of those mansions is number 31, which has 1086 square meters of land. Today a signboard is attached to the gates of the mansion with the following writ: “Residence of the Ambassador of Armenia in Ukraine.” Meanwhile there is no information in that register stating that the building has been given on lease.
In accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the residence of the ambassador, as well as the area of Embassy is inviolable. So, this is a unique “immunity” for Sivets, who protects himself from the searches of law enforcement agencies. This is important at this moment, as his wife comes to Ukraine in relation to her business affairs, and lives right at that house. Andranik Manukyan is the Ambassador of Armenia in Ukraine since 2010, the embassy did not respond to the inquiry regarding the place of his residence.
Sivets was close with the former president of Ukraine Yanukovych. He played tennis with Yanukvich, was a member of the presidential “Kedr” Club of Hunters and Fishermen. According to publications in media, after Yanukovich escaped, Sivets moved to Moscow.
It is known that Sivets is involved in a criminal case brought against the officials of the State Forest Agency, who forced the foreign companies buying wood and wood products from Ukraine to pay to a private company for marketing services. And during the time of the management of Sivets, the funds paid for that services were sent to «Zelenio ltd» which is registered in Cyprus. And that company had an investment contract with the company belonging to Sivets’ wife.
Iravaban.net tried to receive information about this publication from the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ministry’s spokesman, Tigran Balayan said that he was not aware of the report, but mentioned that it is normal for an Ambassador to hire a house as a residence. He has also mentioned that the ambassadors’ residence addresses are not subject to publication based on safety issues, but they are not a secret as well, and advised to send the question in the written form.
