Interviews and articles
Viktor Pinchuk: a man of the year
A prominent industrialist and media magnate Victor Pinchuk has been damaged by the last change of the country's president more than the other oligarchs. The son-in-law of the ex-head of state Leonid Kuchma not only lost a solid fragment of his empire - a metallurgical works Krivorozhstal, but he was also forced by Victor Yuschenko out the old building Arsenal, where he planed to open a contemporary art center. The president, who is also a big lover of art, took a fancy to the same site of the tsar's times for the Arts Arsenal, synthesis of museums of history with arts and crafts.However Pinchuk has appeared a winner in this conflict: the presidential project is still under a long-lasting renovation, while the tycoon's brainchild PinchukArtCenter, located in the other building, also in the downtown, has been already accepted above 30 000 visitors. Moreover, the businessman advocates the principle that the art should belong to the people, which is why the entry to his center, whose expositions and interior meet the latest trends, is free.
In the social and charitable projects, the capitalist with a fortunes amounting $3.7 billion, is not a beginner: his working experience in this field equals to a decade. Apart from it, unlike the other Ukrainian philanthropists, he supports not only orphans, the poor and the ill. Many of his projects are targeted at modernization of Ukraine, building of its positive image in the world.
Though these expenses are caused not only by his patriotic feelings, his kind heart and his wish to follow the example of the Western rich men, for whom a big donation is a point of honor and tradition. He cares of his own image, in order to carry on business quietly in the country, where he, who left the politics, is still associated with a pro-governmental business-elite of the Kuchma epoch.
Anyhow, last year Pinchuk reminded the world of the Holocaust tragedy in Ukraine - in collaboration with Steve Spielberg he acted as a co-producer of the Spell Your Name film. And a Hollywood celebrity presented this film in Kiev. In total, the project cost the oligarch one million dollars.
Ten times more Pinchuk allocated for the research and educational programs. He also assigns funds for the stipends to the promising Ukrainians, sending them abroad and he supports the talented students in Ukraine as well. Due to his financial injections, the Institute of Open Society is implementing a project on rendering a free legal aid to the Ukrainian population.
At the YES conferences (Yalta European Strategy; last year the third conference took place in Yalta), Pinchuk gathers leading Ukrainian and foreign policy-makers and experts. The subject of the discussions is Ukraine's entry to Europe. The program documents of the conferences are put on the table of the President and the Chairman of the European Union. These documents are also presented at the world's most pathos and status economic platform - the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Pinchuk is not just a guest, but a permanent organizer of the lunch-conferences dedicated to Ukraine.
Another project of the millionaire is networking of the neonatal centers equipped with modern facilities for the intensive care of newborns. The project is being implemented in 5 hospitals - all of them are located in the remote areas, where the situation with health protection is especially grave.
To Pinchuk, once a modest Soviet engineer, the joint projects with the world celebrities are of paramount importance. Thus, in last September his name Foundation and the Foundation of his wife - the Elena Franchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation, signed an agreement on cooperation with Bill Clinton. With Pinchuk's $2.5 billion, the Foundation of the U.S. ex-president will implement the project which aims at struggle against the HIV/AIDS spreading in Ukraine. The contribution of Pinchuk is only twice less than the government financing of the battle against the AIDS and TB in 2006.
