From 1957 to 1972, Derkach worked at the Soviet Rocket giant Yuzhmash (Ukrainian: ПО "Пiвденмаш") in Dnipropetrovsk (today Dnipro).[6] From 1958 to 1961, while he worked at Yuzhmash, he studied at the Dnepropetrovsk Mechinists Technical School.[7][8][b] He was in the Soviet Army from 1961 to 1964.[6][7] From 1964 to 1970, he studied at Dniepropetrovsk State University graduating in 1970 with a Physics and Technical PhD as a mechanical engineer of aeronautics.[6][7][10] After graduation, he worked as a senior process engineer at Yuzhmash from 1970 to 1972.[7]
In September 1999 in the Ukrainian newspaper Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Russian: «Зеркало недели» (№37 (258), 18-24 сентября 1999 года)) (Ukrainian: Дзеркало тижня), Derkach describes Semyon Mogilevich as a simple businessman which led to the FBI's representative in Ukraine, Michael Pischemuk, and the US Ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Pifer, to meet on 22 December 1999 with Yevhen Marchuk, who is the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, to discuss the troubling statement.[1][2] Through the Mykola Melnychenko recordings of 2000, Derkach was close to Russian mafia leader Semyon Mogilevich.[1][12][13] According to Derkach in these recordings, Vladimir Putin is also very close to Mogilevich.[13]
In 2005, the report of the ad hoc committee of the Ukrainian parliament investigating the murder concluded that Gongadze's murder had been organized by then President of UkraineKuchma and his Minister of the InteriorYuriy Kravchenko and that Derkach had been involved in the crimes.[17]
He was a member of the 4th Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament), representing Ukraine's 36th electoral district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast from 14 May 2002 until 25 May 2006.[18]
Derkach died on 14 January 2022, at the age of 82.[23]
Notes
^Of the Clan of Dnipropetrovsk, the Derkach group of Leonid and his son Andrii are close to the Leonid Kuchma group. The Viktor Pinchuk group is a rival of the Derkach group. The Yulia Timoshenko group is a rival of the Kuchma group. The fifth group is the Privatbank group.[3]
^The Derkach family is very close to Leonid Kuchma who worked side by side with Leonid Derkach producing Satan rockets at the Yuzhmash (Russian: Южмаш) factory, and, after Kuchma became president of Ukraine in 1994, the Derkachs gained political positions through their relationships with Kuchma.[9]
References
^ abc"Схема можливих зв'язків л.Деркача та А.Деркача (Схема связей Деркачей)" [Scheme of possible connections L. Derkach and A. Derkach (Derkach Communications Scheme or Scheme of Derkach Spy Cell)]. «Украины Криминальной» (cripo.com.ua) (in Ukrainian). 26 June 2001. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021 – via compromat.ru.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Ельцов, Олег (25 June 2001). "Из жизни Деркачей. Часть 3. Зарвавшиеся" [From the life of the Derkachs. Part 3. Overcome]. Украина криминальная (Crime Ukraine). Archived from the original on 3 July 2001. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
^ abcd"Деркач Леонід Васильович" [Derkach Leonid Vasylovych]. Офіційна Україна сьогодні (Official Ukraine today) website (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 16 October 2020.
^ abcd"Деркач Леонид Васильевич" [Derkach Leonid Vasylovych]. голос ua website (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 16 October 2020.
^ abc"ДЕРКАЧ ЛЕОНІД ВАСИЛЬОВИЧ" [Derkach Leonid Vasylovych]. Державна митна служба України (State Customs Service of Ukraine) website (in Ukrainian). 22 December 2012. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
^"Деркач Леонід Васильович" [Derkach Leonid Vasylovych]. Верховнa Радa України (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine) website. Archived from the original on 25 January 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2020.