Businessman Vyacheslav Mishalov, who owns significant assets in several sectors, mainly concentrated in the Dnipro region, considers investments in agro-processing, which has export potential, to be promising and is interested in such projects, he said in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“I am not involved in the agricultural sector. I’m not into farming, but I think processing is the next big thing in Ukraine. It’s already huge, but it’ll get even bigger because processing different crops is a never-ending process, it’s super high-tech, and Ukraine has a lot of room to process anything,” Mishalov said.
In his opinion, there is also a lot of room for craft products in this sector, so small businesses can also enter this market.
The businessman clarified that the absence of such objects in his portfolio is due to the fact that he has not yet come across good teams with the necessary experience in processing.
Mishalov also said that he remains interested in Dnipropres Steel, which he has left as an owner but has an option to buy the company under a “rather complex agreement.”
According to him, the company continues to pursue a very active and extensive modernization program, and the businessman himself cooperates with it as a consultant, advisor, independent member of the supervisory board, and seller of its products.
“This is an export-oriented business, and I really like it in the long run. Ukraine used to have very good schools and universities. And although this is no longer the case today, Ukraine is a very good place for individual metallurgy projects, ‘pearl buttons,’” Mishalov described his vision for the industry’s prospects.
Regarding the possibility of other investments, he noted that he has no plans for them at this time, with the exception of some local and specific ones.
“Today, we are completing all major investment decisions that were made earlier and are not starting any new ones yet. We need to wait a while — the risks are very high, and the horizon for stability is short. Given these factors, it is definitely not possible to make large investments,“ the businessman said, explaining his position. He added that he is currently completing an alternative energy project related to gas generation, which will be ready for announcement within the next three to four months. ”But again, these are necessary measures.
If we did not have our own large consumption, we probably would not have gone ahead with the gas generation project either, because the risks are high and the equipment is fantastically expensive,” Mishalov added.
According to him, there have been several attacks on his assets, the principle of which is unclear, but they are very precise, and each time the losses are measured in tens of millions of hryvnia.
Regarding the Lotus network of four gas stations in Dnipro and Novomoskovsk and the petroleum products trader Lotus Oil Trading, the businessman noted that these assets are currently illiquid due to unfavorable market conditions, where “profitability is good if it is zero,” and consumption is falling.
As for the news portal Informator, Mishalov claims that it is just a business.
“There was a time when it was a good business, and I had very successful experience selling similar assets. Today is probably not the best time. But that’s okay — we’ll wait and sell a little later.
In the long run, it’s a good business,” he said.
According to him, Informator is currently performing well, is active on social media, and is close to the top ten in terms of real audience.
Mishalov, who was secretary of the Dnipro City Council in 2016-2017, categorically denied plans to return to politics. “I don’t even know how much I would have to pay to go back there. It’s definitely not for me,” the businessman said.
As the businessman said in an interview, all his assets are already quite well structured and managed through the closed non-diversified venture corporate investment fund Fortress. Mishalov’s investments also include the financial company Ye Groshi, the provider Fregat, and an IT division.
The fund, in turn, is managed by the asset management company LLC “KUAA ”MPSS” from Dnipro, owned by Sergei Shishkin (50%), Igor Sukhodolsky (41%), and Olga Mukhina (9%).
