The Mezhyhirya Residence (, ) is an estate in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

where

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

lived when he was

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and then

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

and is now a museum displaying Yanukovych's luxurious lifestyle.Ukraine: Former President Viktor Yanukovych's Palatial Residence in Mezhyhirya Opens as Museum

International Business Times The ''International Business Times'' is an American online newspaper that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on business and ...

(November 17, 2014)Янукович заявляет, что он – законный владелец резиденции «Межгорье» ''Yanukovych said that he – the rightful owner of the residence Mezhyhirya''

UNIAN The Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News () is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business and financial information, and a photo reporting service. As of October 2022, it was the most v ...

(7 August 2009) Yanukovych lived in the estate from 2002, when he first became Prime Minister, to 21 February 2014, when he fled the country during the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity (), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capit ...

.Leshchenko, S.
Life of the state elite: freebie apartment for Viktor Yanukovych
'.

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

. December 29, 2009 The estate was founded as a monastery that functioned off-and-on until closed in 1923 by the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

following the establishment of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. From 1935 Mezhyhirya was a state government residence, first under the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

and then under an independent Ukraine, until 2007 when it was privatized in the final weeks of Yanukovych’s leadership as Prime Minister. This privatization has been alleged as having been illegal, with no money being reported as being paid to the state for its sale. In 2012, the State Administration of Affairs rented a space from Tantalit for

₴ The hryvnia sign (₴) is a currency symbol, used for the Ukrainian hryvnia currency since 2004. In 2004, when the National Bank of Ukraine approved the ₴ currency symbol for the hryvnia, it was also stated that the symbol could be written eit ...

99,691 per year, arranging it for official receptions.Leshchenko, S.
Viktor Yanukovych: We building new country. Within Mezhyhirya
'.

. April 7, 2010. Accessed February 15, 2014 In 2014, it returned to state ownership. In 2010, Yanukovych claimed the lease of in Mezhyhirya cost ₴314 per month (2010) which was about $39.57 according to the exchange rate at the time. Another luxurious residence was under construction near

Cape Aya Cape Aya (; ; ) is a rocky promontory jutting out into the Black Sea southeast of Balaklava. This 13-km-long spur of the Crimean Mountains separates Laspi Bay (to the east) from Balaklava Bay (to the west). The name of the cape derives from ...

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

at the time Yanukovych was ousted from office. The residence was popularly known as “Mezhyhirya 2”.

History

Until April 10, 1786, the space now occupied by the modern residence was inhabited by the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery, the establishment of which is attributed prior to the period of princely epoch in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, which was liquidated by the Russian Imperial edict of

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

. A year later, the monastery was set on fire, supposedly on the order of the same Catherine the Great. Ukrainian poet

Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (; ; 9 March 1814 – 10 March 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist, and ethnographer. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a member of the Brotherhood o ...

wrote about the incident: "As tsaritsa with Nechesa walked around Kyiv and the Mezhyhirya Savior she set on fire at night". At the end of the 19th century the monastery was restored as a female monastery called "Intercession of the Saints", but in 1923 was once again closed by the

. During 1923–1931 the monastery building was used by as a college for ceramic production. Former cells of the monastery became occupied by a commune of artists- monumentalists. In 1931 the college was moved to

. At the same year the

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...

of the Savior-Transfiguration Monastery was destroyed. Mezhyhirya is also the former summer house of the

's leaders since 1935. During the occupation by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, it was a residence of the Reich Commissar

Erich Koch Erich Koch (; 19 June 1896 – 12 November 1986) was a ''Gauleiter'' of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in East Prussia from 1 October 1928 until 1945. Between 1941 and 1945 he was Chief of Civil Administration (''Chef der Zivilverwaltung'') of Bezi ...

in a palace of the

Kiev Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exist ...

commander

Iona Yakir Iona Emmanuilovich Yakir (; 3 August 1896 – 12 June 1937) was a Red Army commander and one of the world's major military reformers between World War I and World War II. He was an early and major military victim of the Great Purge, alongsid ...

. Before its privatization by the

(at that time

Prime Minister of Ukraine The prime minister of Ukraine (, , ) is the head of government of Ukraine. The prime minister presides over the government of Ukraine, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the government of Ukrain ...

), the residence belonged to the State recreation complex Pushcha Vodytsia.

Estate under Viktor Yanukovych (2002–2013)

Stepping into the post of

in 2002,

received free of charge building #20 with an area in the residence from the Fund of State Property. On April 1, 2003 Viktor Yanukovych rented building #20 and of land through the mediation of Donetsk Charity Fund "Revival of Ukraine". By the agreement, the rental price was ₴3.14 per month for a period of 49 years for the purpose "implementation of measures for the promotion of national and international programs aimed at improving the socio-economic status". Stepping out of the post of

in 2005, Yanukovych received another building, #20-a. In 2008 the Mezhyhirya residence was amid an ownership controversy between the former Ukrainian

and the new Ukrainian

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

, led by Prime Minister

Yulia Tymoshenko Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko ( Hrihyan born 27 November 1960) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005, and again from 2007 until 2010; the first and only woman in Ukraine to hold that position. She has been ...

. The transfer of the 1.4 km² Mezhyhirya

official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...

in Novi Petrivtsi,

Vyshhorod Raion Vyshhorod Raion () is a raion (district) in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Vyshhorod. It has a population of On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Kyiv Oblast w ...

(

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

) to the "Nadra Ukraine" firm on July 11, 2007 by Viktor Yanukovych pulled the territory from under government ownership. On July 9, 2007,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards Western world, the West, European Union, and N ...

signed a ''secret'' presidential decree #148, according to the local business newspaper ''Delo'' which referred to the information of the State Directorate of Affairs. The document states: "The government

dacha A dacha (Belarusian, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of former Soviet Union, post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ...

on the territory of the recreational complex "Pushcha-Vodytsia" is presented for a use to the head of Kabmin, Viktor Yanukovych." Later the document has never appeared on the website of the head of state nor in any other open source of information. A single official confirmation of it was given to the newspaper by the State Directorate of Affairs. The directorate explained that the recreational complex "Pushcha-Vodytsia" includes the recreational resort "Pushcha-Vodytsia" and the Mezhyhirya residency. On July 11, 2007, Yanukovych issued a government order #521, according to which the National Joint-Stock Company "Nadra Ukrainy" received the state residency and a territory of 137 ha in Mezhyhirya. Soon "Nadra Ukrainy" concluded a barter with another company "Medinvesttreid" (Medinvesttrade) after which the above-mentioned government assigned residence was exchanged for two properties at Parkova alleya (''Park alley'') in

. "Medinvesttreid", in its turn, sold the newly acquired property of "Nadra Ukrainy" to some other company "Tantalit". Since May 2008 the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

was conducting a search for the director of "Medinvesttreid", Hennadiy Herasymenko, who in their opinion was involved in a scheme to get the former state residence out of state property. On February 12, 2008 Yushchenko signed a decree for relieving a state property security personnel from duties at the State cottages area in Mezhyhirya. His decree canceled the previous presidential decree of January 12, 2006 where the security personnel was assigned to properties at Zalissya, instead of Zalissya and Mezhyhirya. Subsequently, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych

privatized Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...

the complex, already residing there while prime minister. At the time, the property's price was estimated at around ₴1 billion (

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

200 million). After Yulia Tymoshenko's election, her cabinet annulled the decree which transferred the property to the "Nadra Ukraine" firm, and again placed the territory under government control. However, on July 28, 2008, the Economic Court of Kyiv City annulled the Cabinet's decision and returned the Mezhyhirya residence back under Yanukovych's ownership. In 2009 Yanukovych claimed to have full ownership. He has not revealed the price he paid for the property, instead calling it a "very serious price".

Viktor Yanukovych chose it as his residence after he won the

2010 Ukrainian presidential election 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to s ...

. This ownership was contested.

Serhiy Leshchenko Serhiy Leshchenko (, 30 August, 1980) is a Ukrainian ex-journalist, politician and public figure, Member of Parliament ( 8th Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada). From 2002 until 2014, Leshchenko worked as a Deputy Editor-in-Chief and as a special cor ...

, of ''

'', has claimed Yanukovych owned more of the estate than he claimed, and that he managed to do so through a complex ownership structure via a network of international holding companies that ultimately comes back to a firm called Tantalit, run by a lawyer close to the Yanukovych family, Pavlo Lytovchenko. The estate's level of luxury and the reconstruction of a road to it spawned controversy within Ukraine.Yanukovych's smooth ride to Mezhyhirya mansion

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is Ukraine’s first and most prominent English-language newspaper. It was founded in 1995 in Kyiv by American businessman Jed Sunden. In 2018, the publication was acquired by prominent Ukrainian businessman Adnan Kivan, foun ...

(19 August 2010) During Yanukovych’s presidency, the estate became a controversial symbol of the increasingly authoritarian nature of his rule, as well as a symbol of the excess and corruption that defined his government and Ukrainian bureaucracy. Throughout his presidency, independently-aligned Ukrainian media, such as the Internet newspaper ''

,'' frequently detailed the excess reported at the complex, resulting in unspoken competition amongst journalists to detail the residence’s excess. ''Ukrayinska Pravda'' would spend over three years investigating reports of excess and misappropriation of public funds at the complex, with the newspaper publishing a number of documents that confirmed a link between organizations-tenants acting on behalf of Yanukovych, family members of Yanukovych and his entourage. Details of the residence’s excesses, such as the cost of its chandeliers, shocked and angered Ukrainians during Yanukovych’s presidency, with many rumours about the complex circulating throughout Ukraine in the early 2010s.

Euromaidan protests and aftermath

During

Euromaidan Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...

in 2013-2014, protesters descended on the complex, especially in December 2013, to protest against Yanukovych’s government. Protests at Mezhyhirya were also motivated by the belief held by the protestors that the complex was funded “improperly”, and also by an attack on 25 December 2013 on the journalist

Tetiana Chornovol Tetiana Mykolaivna Chornovol (; born 4 June 1979) is a Ukrainian journalist and civic activist, and one of the leaders in the Euromaidan protest campaign. She is known for investigative reports about corruption in Ukraine, as well as for her ...

, who had been investigating the financing of the Mezhyhirya residence, and was attacked after unknown men in a jeep crashed into her car. The social movement Automaidan would organise many of the protests at Mezhyhirya, which would result in many of the movement’s vehicles being recorded by the police on a list. Many cars from the list would be burned, and owners of others would lose their driver’s licenses. On 21 February 2014, Yanukovych fled Kyiv, and the police units that had guarded the residence during

withdrew, with some guards reported to have escaped and protesters were able to enter it.Ukraine Leader Was Defeated Even Before He Was Ousted

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

(3 January 2015) Before protestors entered, little had previously been known about the president’s home as Yanukovych had been relatively successful in keeping his private life away from the Ukrainian media. Some protestors stated that the capture of Mezhyhirya was “the main symbol of our revolution uromaidan our

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...

”.

Transformation into museum

Following the ousting of Yanukovych from power, thousands of Ukrainians went to visit the luxurious estate and park for free, with some nicknaming the complex "Yanukdisneyland" (a portmanteau of “Yanukovych” and “

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

”). Activists of Automaidan took care of the residence from the moment it was abandoned by security forces and turned it into a public park. Since then, an employee of

Kyiv Zoo The Kyiv Zoo (, ) is the largest zoo in Kyiv, Ukraine, and one of the largest in the former Soviet Union. Situated on about , the zoo is cared for by 378 staff members and receives about 280,000 visitors annually. History The Kyiv Zoo was founde ...

has been taking care of the animals and birds at the residence. On 23 February 2014 the Ukrainian parliament, the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...

, adopted a resolution to transfer Mezhyhirya as a recreational complex of

Pushcha-Vodytsia Pushcha-Vodytsia is a Subdivisions of Kyiv#Historical neighborhoods, historic neighbourhood, climate resort and a former urban-type settlement (1981-2001) in the northwestern part of Kyiv (Obolon Raion). Located within a dense forest and away fro ...

to state ownership, within ten days. However this did not happen because of conflicts over control of the complex that emerged amongst some protestors and pro-European businessmen, as well as the legal confusion surrounding ownership of the estate. Looters and vandals were kept away from the complex by the former businessman and now groundskeeper of the site Denys Tarachkotelyk and his supporters, a group of protestors from the Maidan. Tarachkotelyk arrived at Mezhyhirya on the morning after Yanukovych fled and managed to outmaneuver rival factions to gain control of the entire property. The property returned to state ownership via court action on 25 June 2014. Since mid-November 2014 Mezhyhirya has been a museum which the public can visit, though the number of visitors has fallen sharply since February 2014, when hundreds of thousands visited. The controversial nature of the complex has persisted since Yanukovych’s ousting, with some Ukrainians refusing to visit it because it is connected to the former president of Ukraine and provokes negative emotions, though others have used it for their wedding photoshoots. During the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

Mezhyhirya became a shelter for the residents of nearby villages.Two bombs have hit Mezhyhiria, where neighbouring village residents find refuge

(11 March 2022) According to Mezhyhirya groundskeeper Denys Tarakhkotelyk the complex was hit by Russian air strikes and bombardments. Mezhyhirya was featured in the political satire ''

Servant of the People Servant of the People (; ''SN'') is a Liberalism, liberal, Centrism, centrist, Pro-Europeanism, pro-European List of political parties in Ukraine, political party in Ukraine. Since both the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election and the 2019 Ukra ...

.'' In the series, the location was used for the inauguration of the President, who was played by

Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

. In 2019 Ukrainian voters elected Zelensky as President of Ukraine.

Former owners (2009–2014)

* Tantalit, LLC (“TOB”) (,

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: “Танталит”) * Charitable Fund "Revival of Ukraine" (,

: Благотворительный фонд "Возрождение Украины")

Renters

Before the Revolution of Dignity, the State Administration of Affairs rented an office in the residence.

Security services

* Berkut,

State Security Administration The State Security Service, also known by its original name as the Directorate for State Security, was the secret police organization of Communist Yugoslavia. It was at all times best known by the acronym UDBA, which is derived from the organiz ...

(UDO) – security * State Auto Inspection – road blocks, traffic restrictions *

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

(An anti-air mobile fire team of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

was deployed on a

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * ...

in the

Kyiv Reservoir The Kyiv Reservoir (), locally the Kyiv Sea (), is a large Reservoir (water), water reservoir located on the Dnipro River in Ukraine. Named after the city of Kyiv, which lies to the south, it covers an area of within the Kyiv Oblast. The reserv ...

in December 2012.) In November 2011 "UkrAeroRukh" made Yanukovych's part of the Mezhyhirya residence a

no-fly zone A no-fly zone, also known as a no-flight zone (NFZ), or air exclusion zone (AEZ), is a territory or area established by a military power over which certain aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in an enemy power's terri ...

Description

The Mezhyhirya estate is over and is situated on the banks of the

Dnieper river The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

(

)Ukraine elections marked by curses, threats and brutality

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

(26 October 2012) in the village of

Novi Petrivtsi Novi Petrivtsi () is a large village#Ukraine, village located just north of Kyiv, in Vyshhorod Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Today it is the administrative seat of the Petrivtsi rural hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Just outside the vil ...

Kyiv Oblast Kyiv Oblast (, ), also called Kyivshchyna (, ), is an Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, which is administered as a city with special sta ...

. There is a yacht pier, an equestrian club, a shooting range, a tennis court and other recreational facilities as well as hunting grounds. The estate also has an automobile museum displaying some of Yanukovych’s former exotic cars, a golf course, an ostrich farm, a dog kennel, numerous fountains and man-made lakes, a helicopter pad, and a small church. The entire complex is enclosed by a five-meter tall fence along the perimeter.

Club house (Honka)

The main feature of the residence is the so-called "club house", also known as "object Honka" (after the Finnish log home manufacturer Honka).Leshchenko, S.
Secrets of Mezhyhirya. New luxury of Yanukovych
'.

. June 8, 2011. Accessed February 15, 2014 The building is located on territory belonging to the charitable fund "Revival of Ukraine". During 2009 and the first half of 2010, materials worth ₴76 million ($9.5 million) were delivered, for renovation of the house. In 2010, speaking before the German public in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

actually refuted his previous statements that he had nothing other than his house on the territory of "Mezhyhirya". Speaking that in his personal life he prefers "German quality", he noted: "It's no big secret to anyone... I built one such house, a club house... It was built by "Honka", a Finnish company..." After he fled the country during the

, Honka was squatted in by activists.

Barge

According to ''

'', a reception house was designed for Viktor Yanukovych in 2011, based on a barge that was brought to Mezhyhirya and moored in the inner harbor (). Officially, it is registered to the company Tantalit.Leshchenko, S.
Inside of Mezhyhirya. First photos of unheard luxury
'.

. April 6, 2012. Accessed February 15, 2014 The length of the "palace on the water" is around . The windows are decorated as round portholes. As reported by ''Ukrayinska Pravda'', the barge has a personal office and a hall for receptions. The "palace" is decorated with wood of valuable species, gold leaf, marble and crystal. In the niche of the ceiling of the main hall, there are three chandeliers, the price of one of which was estimated by ''Ukrayinska Pravda'' at $97,000.

Books

A journalist at ''Ukrayinska Pravda'' found various "ancient treasures of

Ukrainian literature The term Ukrainian literature () is normally used to describe works of literature written in the Ukrainian language. In a broader sense it can also relate to all literary works created in the territory of Ukraine. Ukrainian literature mostly de ...

" in the residence on 25 February 2014, including the alleged first printed book in Ukraine (dating from 1654) by Ivan Fyodorov.

Photo gallery

Honka club house

File:Honka in Mezhyhirya.jpg, "Honka" club house File:Honka in Mezhyhirya, side view.jpg, "Honka", side view File:Balcony of Honka in Mezhyhirya.jpg, Honka's balcony, close up File:Stairs on the side of Honka in Mezhyhirya.jpg, Side stairs (Honka) File:View from aside of Honka in Mezhyhirya.jpg, Park surrounding Honka File:View from Honka in Mezhyhirya.jpg, Gazebo near Honka File:On the way to Honka in Mezhyhirya.jpg, Park area walkways File:Lake in Mezhyhirya.jpg, Main lake with "Honka" in background

Other features

File:Barge in Mezhyhirya.jpg, "Galleon" barge File:Guest house in Mezhyhirya.jpg, Guest house

Panoramic photos of Mezhyhirya

A group of photographers made a series of 360° panoramic photos outside and inside the buildings in Mezhyhirya on 11 March 2014, available on the website of the German news magazine ''

Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

''.

References

External links

Open Access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...

– a movie on corruption in modern Ukraine, including the episode where the

refuses any explanations about Mezhyhirya. **
Open Access
' (full video with English subtitles,

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

) * Leshchenko, S. ''Mezhyhirya: Paradise for Yanukovych
Part IPart II
''. "

", 2010
Mezhyhirya. Day of Journalist (2013)
Telekritika. * Chernovol, T.

'. Levyi bereg. August 31, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mezhyhirya Residence Official residences in Ukraine Buildings and structures in Kyiv Oblast Official residences in the Soviet Union Political scandals in Ukraine Museums in Kyiv Oblast Viktor Yanukovych