While preparing for the interview, I did not expect it would be so hard to speak with a friend – about friendship.

The numerous talents of Volodymyr Prodyvus include one that is very special: He can be a friend.

Volodya does not divide people by rank. Among his friends are absolutely different people. A politician or businessman, an engineer or worker, a well-known sportsman or popular artist – social status does not matter to Volodymyr.

Volodymyr knows how to take care of friendship. He lives by these laws. He does not need to be asked for help – he knows himself when it is needed. Once, Volodya said: “Everything in this life has its value. Friendship is the most selfish of feelings, because when you devote your entire self to a friend, you expect the same from him.”

Prodyvus’s life is amazing. It sometimes resembles a legend about a millionaire who started by selling herring…

He was born in a remote Kazakh village. Then he moved to Ukraine, this time to another place off the beaten track. First it was Mykolayiv region, then Vinnytsya region (Sosonka village). Given the circumstances, he might well have become a tractor driver or machine operator – the peak of earthly ambitions!

Life seemed to be testing Volodymyr severely. At an early age he became fatherless. His mother was disabled for the rest of her life. The schoolboy had to provide food for the family and medical treatment for his mother. There was no work that he and his brother would not do. As for relations with peers, he also had to take care of things himself. Volodya learned how to defend himself.

He took up boxing. When he came to join a sports club, the coach looked at the sturdy lad and... turned him down, saying he was overage and it was too late for him to prepare for becoming a champion. But then he pitied the boy and allowed him to attend training sessions. A month later, our hero was winning the regional championships. Then there were the “Spartakiada” competitions, cups and championship titles…

Volodymyr entered the Physical Education Department of the Vinnytsya Teacher Training Institute. He simply had no choice. Then he served in the army. The salary of a physical education teacher did not satisfy the young man’s ambitions, so he went into business. Business in the 1990s was wild, and Volodymyr made many mistakes. Today, it's easy to say, “One that’s been caned is worth two that haven’t.” Back in those days you had to bravely cope with the blows of fate – and not to fall to pieces.

He didn't. Later, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of a large company, he felt he was lacking in knowledge, so he went on studying. Volodymyr graduated from the Ternopil Academy of National Economy, the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management and the Ukrainian Academy of State Management under the President of Ukraine. As a result, he obtained a diploma of financier, and masters' degrees in psychology and state management. Then he took an interest in the problems of large team management psychology. He became a professor and developed his business at the same time.

He became an Honored constructor of Ukraine, and was awarded orders and medals.

Currently, Prodyvus’s main positions are Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Mostobud (Kyiv), the leader of bridge construction in Ukraine and the CIS, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company Premier Finance in Vinnytsya.

To allow the reader to realize the scale of Prodyvus’ business, I must say that since the establishment of Mostobud, the company has built or directly participated in the construction of practically all the most famous bridges in Ukraine. If lined up, the total length of the bridges would equal the distance from Kyiv to the beaches of Crimea! Among Mostobud's creations are all the bridges currently used in the city.

Today, the company is simultaneously building unique objects, such as the Podil Bridge over the Dnipro in Kyiv, which combines a subway line and three car lanes in both directions, and a highway over the Dnipro in Zaporizhya, also with three fast lanes in both directions. The residents of Zaporizhya look forward to this bridge, because a one-way trip from a bedroom community with a population of 300,000 to the administrative center, passenger stations and airport takes around two hours. With Mostobud’s highway in operation, this period will be reduced to 25–30 minutes.

Besides, Volodymyr cares about sports, fitness movement, art and education.

He is a philanthropist and involved in charity activities.

He is straightforward and approachable, elegant and open.

He is a multimillionaire.

A talented friend.

Are you acquainted now? Then let's proceed with the interview.

You know, Volodya, great people have said so much about friendship that there is hardly anything to add. So, I will be asking provocative questions, and you try hard to answer them.

Go ahead!

Could you explain the similarity and difference between a strong male friendship and good company? You don't mind either, do you?

That's true. I love and respect both, but they are totally different things. You can't even compare them. I can relax with pleasure in the company of nice, yet absolutely unknown people, and it's interesting. But are such people friends? Can I entrust my soul to them? And why would they care about my soul! A well-bred person will, of course, hear you out, and then think that you are wrong in the head. Do I look like an idiot?

And do I look like a doctor? (We both laugh).

That's the answer to your question.

Tell me the name of a person you consider a true friend.

I have friends. I have known some of them for several years; others, for several dozen years. God has helped me in my life circumstances and my ups and downs to meet the people I am friendly with today. For me, each of them is like a brother, like a relative. I believe in the same kind of attitude on their part. I try to be worthy of it.

Do you want me to give you the name of a friend? And what if I forget someone? I value my friends too much to make such mistakes.

Well, let it be me.

Well, it is you. (We laugh again).

Is a friend a person you feel easy or difficult to be with?

It certainly is different for each person. Personally, I don't have friends who I feel difficult to be with. Difficult means you have to hide your true self – when you actually have to lead a double life; when you have to look different from what you really are.

You know, sometimes you feel like following a principle: I am what I am. You can accept it or not. Isn't it true? But life will not allow anyone this kind of luxury. And no one has abolished diplomacy, let alone in business.

With friends, you can be natural and you need no masks. A friend understands your mood. And if I suddenly lose my temper, he will not criticize me or take offense.

How can I make myself clearer? With friends, I don't think whether I have been tactful or not. If I'm in a hurry and have to run to an important meeting, I quickly shake hands with a person and run. A friend will understand, while with another person, you have to apologize a thousand times and explain. Sometimes you even have to act against your own plans. You have to, because the person doesn't know you and may take it as a sign of disrespect. It makes me feel uncomfortable and annoyed. But I can't give offense, either by word or action, to someone who doesn't have to understand me as a person. To sum it up, with friends I feel comfortable!

Are there friends in business?

There is a trivial phrase: to “separate apples from oranges.” I always say business and friends are different things. For me, there are no friends or relatives in business. In business relationships I will never get personal. In business I can argue or quarrel. But when the official part is over, there is an absolutely different, friendly conversation. We may tease each other, reminisce or laugh.

Please make yourself clear. Is it true that a business partner cannot be your friend, or your friend who is a business partner has no advantages over others?

The second option is right. If a friend is a business partner, he cannot take offense at a friend who is a partner, too. If you tell him that he isn't right, then he should perceive the serious business conversation as a signal for change and not take offense; something like: He is a friend and treats me like everyone else. We are in the same business, and you either do it with me or leave the team.

I am not going to beg because of my friends or relatives. So, let's get together, drink horilka [vodka], be friends, but you should not interfere with my business. I’d rather help you as a friend.

You are strict…

But fair! (We laugh again).

Vysotsky has a good song about a friend…

When you come home, listen to it. The song is right on target.

Then you are asking for a provocative question. Here it is: Deep inside one still tends to love a woman who betrayed him. What about a friend who has betrayed?

A traitor friend… Unfortunately, it has happened in my life, too. I don't communicate with friends who betrayed me. When a stranger betrays you, it can be understood. You don't owe anything to each other and there is nothing that keeps you together. Each one has his own standards of decency. I can't surround myself with decent people only. I live in the real world.

It's different when you are betrayed by someone you had confidence in, someone you considered a friend. You devote yourself to a friend, you give him the time you might otherwise spend with the family, you take away your other friends’ time. In other words, you voluntarily open up to them. When my friend is having a hard time, when he is feeling bad, he doesn't have to dial my phone number. I am already on my way. In the same way, my friends are beside me when I'm feeling down.

When a person betrays you… The sooner you learn about it, the better. But not when you are in your 70s. When all of a sudden you realize that all your life you have not been thought of as a friend, but simply used under the guise of friendship… So disgusting!

Lyubov Uspenska, singer:
   You are asking me about Volodya? We are friends. He is easy to be with. With him, you can be natural and you don't have to hide your true mood. He is a charming and well-bred young man. He has an open and kindly smile.
   Volodya is a man of difficult fate. I respect people who build their lives with their own hands and succeed. Today, he is a well-known businessman. He enjoys a high status in society and business. But he doesn't seem to notice that. He is tactful, considerate and generous.
   Volodya is reliable. It's always a pleasure to see him.

Oleksandr Ponomaryov, singer:
   I met Volodya long before he became a well-known Kyiv businessman. How did we meet? Probably due to the devotion to the sport that we shared. We both did boxing. I can hardly remember now... And we were introduced to each other by our common Kyiv friend. We have been friends ever since.
   I like his unchanging stability in friendship. Volodya can be a friend. Our friendship involves no mercantile interests. There has never been an occasion when he needed something from me or I needed something from him, apart from the friendship.
   If we succeeded in business – and our businesses have often intersected – it was pleasant to work together and make money. If there is no business, I simply feel comfortable communicating with him.
   It's often said about boxers that they have their brains beaten out, etc. We are probably two examples that keep proving: No, we haven't had our brains beaten out. Not completely , anyway. (Laughs).

Iryna Bilyk, singer:
  Volodya is a good old friend of mine. I know he can have difficulties and feel sad. And every time I am impressed by his optimism. He always smiles, he is cheerful and successful. He is a man of enormous willpower and unfailing courage. In my opinion, that is exactly what a man should be like.

Oleksandr Lanyo, businessman:
   It so happens that you meet a person and understand – it's for life. As it turns out, not only can you say that about love, but about friendship as well – a friendship that is as true and solid as the bridges built by Volodya. Friendship with this person is like a conversation, where you can keep silent and say everything. Volodya will understand. He is a friend that adds to a relation something that only he knows or is capable of. He can get his life priorities right, attracting good things, harmony and truth, and cutting off falseness. He is a friend and a soul-mate – that says it all!

** Vladimir Vysotsky – soviet Russian singer, poet and actor.