Kurt Groszhans, a North Dakota native, set off for Ukraine in 2017 to reconnect with his family and farm the rich, dark soil that is the hallmark of the country.
His farming venture with a Ukrainian law professor soon collapsed, resulting in him being arrested last November for plotting to assassinate the business partner he had. Groszhan’s family and supporters claim that the allegations are false and meant to silence Groszhan’s claims of corruption within Ukraine. This country is a crossroads between Western and Russian interests, and trying to get rid of its reputation for corruption and cronyism.
As Ukraine prepares for a possible Russian invasion, the U.S. has instructed the families of American Embassy personnel to evacuate. Groszhan’s family is worried that Groszhan, a North Dakota farmer, could be forgotten. The U.S. government is preoccupied with larger concerns about possible military action.
Kristi Magnusson, his sister, stated that they are “terrified for my brother’s well-being right at the moment, especially with all the news about the Russian troops at the border.” Kristi Magnusson spoke to The Associated Press. She feared that an invasion would force U.S. diplomat staff to evacuate, so she asked the State Department and Biden administration to “use their leverage” in order to bring him home.
She said, “If the Embassy isn’t there to check on him or make sure that his health is okay, we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
When asked for comment, the State Department stated that it took seriously its responsibility in helping detained Americans, and was closely monitoring the case. However, they declined to comment further.
North Dakota Republican Senator Kevin Cramer visited Groszhans in a detention facility as he awaited trial. He said that the episode had “created friction between me and them, or our two governments,” at a time when U.S. interests and those of Ukraine should be aligned to counter the threat from Moscow.
He said, “This little friction is unnecessary.” “And I believe we could all be relieved of it simply by releasing Kurt.”
Groszhans is a 50-year old farmer from Ashley, North Dakota. He decided to move to Ukraine in 2017, where his ancestors were from. His sister stated that the chance to work in Ukraine’s black soil was a “dream come to life” and that he spent a lot of money to set up a farm. Groszhans, a man with a highly prized agricultural sector, was proud of his work. He sent pictures of his crops to his relatives.
Roman Leshchenko, a professor of law, connected him with Grozhans. He offered to speak as a native speaker and had knowledge about the local agricultural business and regulatory requirements. Grozhans appointed him as the director of his business.
Everything fell apart quickly.
Groszhans claims that Leshchenko embezzled money from him and defrauded him of more than $250,000 total. He also claimed in an online post that Leshchenko transferred funds to his family business. Groszhans has been open about his claims, writing in a Medium post that he describes himself as a “humble but deceived” investor.
“Probably, I’m not the only American investor to make a mistake with the manager hired,” he wrote. He wrote that the uniqueness of my case is due to the personality of his manager.
Although Leshchenko declined to speak to the AP about the embezzlement claims, he denied them in interviews with Ukrainian media. He also maintained that they had agreed that Leshchenko would manage the farming company.
Groszhans has retaliated against him, claiming that Groszhans planted genetically modified soybeans that are banned in Ukraine for cultivation and sale. This discovery prompted Leshchenko’s resignation from the company, and was the root of their dispute.
“The circumstances of these criminal proceedings must be confirmed as part of the Pre-trial Investigation conducted by the National Police. Only on the basis thereof, after the relevant facts have been clarified, established and verified, the prosecutor’s office can make the appropriate procedural decisions,” Tetyana Kozachenko, a Leshchenko lawyer, told The Associated Press.
Ukrainian media began to investigate the conflict and reported that Leshchenko had used part of the funds for a $60,000 contribution to the 2019 campaign by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the current Ukrainian president. Leshchenko was later named the minister of agrarian policies and food in the government.
The AP could not confirm the contribution independently. Zelenskyy’s Office did not respond to our request for comment.
The Kyiv Post interviewed Leshchenko last year amid controversy over the contribution. According to the article, Leshchenko’s father died and donated $60,000 for the donation. Leshchenko stated that he and his father saw Zelenskyy as the only person who wanted to see Ukraine change, bring about structural reforms.
Magnusson claims that Leshchenko did eventually return some money to her brother but threatened to have him detained if he continued to talk about the fraud allegations.
Groszhans and his assistant were arrested in November on charges of plotting assassination of Leshchenko. These allegations, which Groszhans supporters claim are completely fabricated, may have been triggered by Groszhans hiring a private investigator to investigate Leshchenko as part his litigation.
His family and supporters believe that the arrest was an attempt to silence his accusations, especially in a country which has sought to secure diplomatic and military support from America through assurances that it is serious about fighting corruption.
Magnusson stated that Magnusson’s brother had never been in trouble with law in his 50-year-old life. “And we don’t believe any of that can be true,” Magnusson said.
His supporters want the Biden administration officially to designate him as a wrongful prisoner, which would allow his case to be assigned to the Office of the Special Presidentialenvoy for Hostage Affairs of the State Department.
His family is concerned that Groszhan’s case will be overlooked due to Russia’s potential invasion and the diminishing diplomatic presence of the U.S.
Magnusson stated, “It just makes it more and more concerning for him and his safety to know these people could leave and Kurt is forgotten and he’s lost,” Magnusson added.
