Simon quietly left the United States and flew to Europe in mid-August, with his first stop being Ukraine.
The series of events triggered by the Rwandan genocide in the first half of the year have begun to be forgotten by the public, and the Westeros system's layout of private military forces is still in progress.
The original 3,000 Ukrainian mercenaries went through several wars, and all the surviving soldiers have become direct private armies of the Westeros system. Through additions in recent months, the total number of soldiers registered under the name of the "Ukrainian Frontline Military Service Company" has exceeded 5,000 at this stage, of which 2,500 are stationed in Rwanda according to the original agreement, and the other 2,500 remain in Ukraine as rotating substitutes.
The headquarters of the Ukrainian Frontline Military Service Company (UFMS) is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, but its military base is located in the Rivne Oblast in northwestern Ukraine, far away from Kiev. This is a very backward state in Ukraine, with only 1.1 million people in the entire Rivne Oblast. , mainly focusing on agriculture and animal husbandry.
Because of the "Sword of Damocles Plan" of the Westeros family, the penetration of the Westeros system into Ukraine began at the beginning of the year.
The Rwanda War in April unexpectedly accelerated the deployment of the Westeros System in Ukraine. Through recruiting soldiers and purchasing weapons, the Westeros System established ties with the Ukrainian military.
At the same time, it is a critical moment for another regime change in Ukraine. After sparing no effort to support former Prime Minister Leon Kuchma in the past few months, the Westeros system also made Kuchma ascend to the presidential throne last month. At that time, high-level contacts in Ukraine were successfully established.
I remember that Leon Kuchma was in charge of Ukraine for ten years. The outside world's evaluation of Kuchma was that he managed to achieve success through his neutral foreign policy between the West and Russia. During his administration, the domestic economy began to stop falling and rebound, and politics tended to Stablize.
It seems so on the surface.
However, the reality is that Leon Kuchma single-handedly contributed to the situation of Ukrainian oligarchs.
Similar to the 'St. Petersburg Gang' in Russia, Leon Kuchma came to power and first brought about the rise of the 'Petrovsk Gang'. In the past ten years before and after the new millennium, Ukraine's political economy was basically dominated by Ukrainians. Yulia Tymoshenko, the widely known Ukrainian "Gas Princess" controlled by politicians and businessmen in the central Petrovsk Oblast, was originally a member of the Petrovsk Gang.
A few months ago, Leon Kuchma, who was still in the sprint for the election, suggested that the Westeros system could set up the UFMS military base in Petrovsk Oblast. Simon was also tempted, but finally refused.
Maintaining contact with political forces is a necessary condition for the Westeros system to take root in Ukraine.
However, Simon does not want to tie the Westeros system to the Petrovsk Gang too closely. The Petrovsk Gang is not without enemies, and there are many of them. They are even full of internal struggles. Yulia Ji Moshenko later stood on the opposite side of Kuchma.
If you tie yourself too tightly to the other party, you will inevitably end up in a political struggle in the future.
It just so happens that the leader of the Ukrainian mercenaries, Kerim Derevyanko, comes from Rivne Oblast. Moreover, since he was promoted to Soviet colonel before the age of 30, he is only one step away from the rank of general. In addition to his own abilities, Gerevyanko It is impossible for Levyanko to have no background. The Derevyanko family has deep roots in Rivne Oblast.
If you want to penetrate Ukraine, the Westeros system must choose a spokesperson in this country, and the Derevyanko family and related forces have become the best candidates.
Simon arrived in Ukraine on August 16 and first visited the pier.
He stayed in Kiev for three days, met in a low-key manner with Leon Kuchma and other high-level officials who had just taken office, attended a series of banquets and wine parties, and then came to Rivne Oblast.
The UFMS military base is located among the mountains and hills about 60 kilometers north of Rivne Oblast, far away from the crowds. It covers an area of 35 hectares. Moreover, compared to the base in Ohio, which is still under construction in the United States, all the equipment here is Ready-made, because the base was originally a former Soviet military camp.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and Ukraine undergoing large-scale disarmament, this camp was left vacant.
Ukraine's land policy at this stage is still conservative. However, through the operation of the Westeros system, the UFMS still obtained ownership of the military base and the surrounding mountains and hills of a total of 150 hectares, and repurchased a large number of firearms, tanks, and helicopters. of military equipment used in military training.
Simon was walking in his own private territory at this time.
There were many people around, but there were only three people who could walk beside Simon. This time, he was accompanied by personal military assistant Celia Miller, Krim Derevyanko, who had been appointed as the president of UFMS, and another A dark-haired man named Sergei Komorov.
Sergei Komorov is the chosen spokesperson of the Westeros system in the business field.
This 36-year-old middle-aged man is three years older than Derevyanko. He is only 1.7 meters tall, a little thin, and has a very mediocre appearance. However, Sergey Komorov was a top student in the Department of Economics at Kiev University. During Gorbachev's reforms in the former Soviet Union, Komorov had the foresight to give up his job at an arsenal in Rovne Oblast. An iron rice bowl, he began to try to do business, mainly engaged in the building materials business.
Although Rivne Oblast is remote and barren, it has very high-quality solid mineral resources such as clay and stone.
According to Komorov, many of the materials used by former Soviet leaders to build holiday villas in Crimea, southern Ukraine, were taken from the Rivne Oblast.
In selecting spokespersons, Simon certainly leaned toward some of the oligarchs he remembered.
However, compared to Russia, Simon had much less information in this area. As for Tymoshenko or **** in his memory, he did not like them. These people are very capable, but actually not smart enough. Given the political situation in Ukraine, it is best to hide behind the scenes and act as an oligarchic gangster. Jumping out to compete for those positions may seem like a good thing, but it will only become a target for everyone.
Kerim Derevyanko first introduced some of his family members and relatives.
Simon is not averse to nepotism and even enjoys it, provided you have enough ability.
The Derevyanko family's thoughts are all in politics and the military, and they have no business genes at all. After several searches, I finally selected Sergei Komorov. This businessman from a low-income peasant family in Ukraine has no background. In recent years, he has managed his business to flourish. He also happens to be working with Jack The Levyanko family knew each other well, so he was successfully selected.
Regarding Ukraine, Simon does not intend to involve any sensitive energy and mineral industries. The plate is too small, and if you put it together and be stared at by a lot of people, the gain outweighs the loss.
Therefore, it was decided to focus on basic daily necessities.
Food, clothing, housing and transportation are the basic material for survival that no one can get rid of.
A few months ago, the Westeros system injected $10 million into Sergey Komorov's Oldek Company, acquiring 80% of the shares. Komorov's shareholding will be 15%, and Delek's shareholding will be 15%. The Vianco family holds 5% of the shares.
'Oldek' is the name of the village where Komorov was born and raised.
Before being selected by the Westeros system, although Komorov's business was already well-known locally, the total assets of Aldek Company were less than US$300,000.
At first, he only gave the other party 15% of the shares, so Simon just conducted another small test.
If Komorov is too greedy and wants more regardless of his own heritage, then this person is not worth supporting at all.
However, when the Westeros system proposed cooperation, Komorov agreed without any hesitation, and did not bargain for the company under his name when only 15% of the shares were left.
This is obviously a very smart guy, and he knows that being able to have a relationship with Simon Westeros is the most important thing to him. Otherwise, with his shallow foundation, he can only be a relatively wealthy businessman in Rivne Oblast in the future, and it will be difficult to develop further.
After receiving capital injections from the Westeros system, Komorov has acquired a number of construction, food and clothing companies in Rivne Oblast and several surrounding states and counties in recent months. He plans to focus on these three companies in the next few years. field.
Simon is less optimistic about the construction industry, preferring food and clothing.
As the 'Granary of Europe', Ukraine is rich in raw materials for food processing. In my memory, Ukraine started its business in the food-related confectionery industry.
As for the clothing industry, it first requires a large number of cheap labor. Ukraine, with a total population of more than 52 million and an economically backward economy, just meets this condition. Simon’s plan is that even if it cannot operate its own brand, it can be used as a Westeros system in the clothing industry in the future. OEM base in the field.
Whether it is luxury brands such as Gucci and CK or relatively affordable brands such as LTD's Victoria's Secret, they all need supporting foundries.
"Many companies in the United States and Europe are now setting up factories in Asia. In fact, Eastern Europe has more advantages than Asia in all aspects, but the nearby geographical factors are not comparable to those in distant Asia. Sher, I will not give you any advice in the short term. Too much business, but as long as you can do it well, I can bring you more business than just orders from clothing companies within the Westeros system. I can also bring you more business from Europe and the United States. Of course, the premise of all this is that you must Let me see first that you are capable of taking on this."
On an asphalt road outside the base, Simon casually looked at the surrounding scenery while discussing business matters directly with Sergey Komorov in Russian.
In front of the young man next to him, Sergei Komorov instinctively said with some respect: "I understand, Simon, I am now integrating several factories in my hands, and I also plan to set up a training school to train skilled workers. Worker. Give me a year. By then, you will see satisfactory results."
Sergey Komorov said, but his experience in Kiev a few days ago was still coming to his mind.
Just the contacts established with the Kiev authorities through Simon's relationship were enough for Komorov to digest. He understood early on that he was severely lacking in funds and contacts, so he could only work in the small pond of Rivne Oblast at first. After making small fuss, Simon Westeros now directly makes up for all his shortcomings.
In fact, Komorov also thought about taking shortcuts to get involved in Ukraine's energy, mining and even military industry.
However, after contacting him in recent days and understanding the thoughts of the young people around him, Komorov wisely gave up the idea.
As long as the basic necessities of food, clothing, housing and transportation can be achieved to the extreme, the scale and profits will not be much worse than those of monopolistic industries.
Moreover, the economy collapsed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The daily necessities industry, which should have been relatively competitive, is still in the early stages of development in Ukraine. If you are one step ahead, with sufficient financial and network support, you can also achieve a monopoly level in the future. Coupled with the connections in the Westeros system, it is also easy for Oldeker Company to expand overseas.
Simon nodded and said: "One more thing, when it comes to recruiting workers in these factories, Sher, I need you to give priority to the families of UFMS soldiers, especially the soldiers who were killed or disabled in action, and even to a certain proportion. You and I need to give priority to this matter." Let’s discuss it with Krim and come up with a specific plan for me as soon as possible.”
Sergey Komorov paused after hearing what Simon said, but still did not refute.
He knew the matter was non-negotiable.
Recruiting family members of UFMS soldiers is likely to lead to intricate nepotism, which is very detrimental to the development of the company. What's more, compared to the general public in Ukraine, those soldiers are high-income earners in this country, and Oldek's factory cannot provide a monthly salary of US$500, or even US$50.
Simon saw through Komorov's concerns at a glance and added: "In terms of salary, it is what it is. I mean, you have to provide them with this opportunity, but you do not need to give any preferential treatment. If the other party therefore If you don’t want to work in our factory, there is no need to force you.”
Sergey Komorov was relieved.
Speaking of which, the salary levels of UFMS mercenaries are already being adjusted.
The monthly salary of US$500 will only be received when the soldiers are on duty.
After returning to Ukraine, the daily salary level will be reduced to 100 US dollars. However, in addition to the basic monthly salary, these people will also enjoy a series of generous benefits from the Westeros system such as pensions, medical insurance, children's education subsidies, etc. Welfare. UFMS Company is also recently preparing to build a UFMS family community in Rivni, the capital of Rivne Oblast, including residential buildings, schools, hospitals, supermarkets and other facilities.
Overall, with a basic monthly salary of US$100, if it were the United States, soldiers would mutiny and rebel. In Ukraine, it is still far above the average income level.
Moreover, the focus is on additional accommodation, education, medical and other benefits, which can further bind the interests of this group of soldiers to the Westeros system long-term and closely. Because if you leave, all these benefits will disappear, and if you betray, the consequences will be more serious.
After chatting about various topics and walking around the base for more than half an hour, the group returned to the base.
Passing through the soldiers undergoing military training, everyone came to a three-story office building in the corner of the base.
Realizing that Simon and Derevyanko still had serious business to discuss, Sergei Komorov took the initiative to leave and said he would return to the city of Rivni. He could also take advantage of the afternoon to take a look at the preparation status of the UFMS family community. The project will also be undertaken by Oldecker's newly established construction engineering subsidiary.
After sending away some other followers, Simon, Crim and Celia finally came to an office.
"Boss, I have selected a team of troops. They are all the most elite special forces who participated in the Rwanda War. There are 18 people in total. They are ready to go at any time." Everyone sat down on the sofa in the office, and Kerim handed Simon a piece of information. , then smiled and said: "Speaking of which, for a task with such a high salary, boss, why don't you count me in?"