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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant
As the Ukrainian crisis worsens, conflicts of interests between the country’s elites are increasing. Oligarchs who were once united in a coalition to defend the Maidan junta are now fighting among themselves due to lack of mutual trust and different interests amid the chaos in the country. In this scenario, illegitimate President Vladimir Zelensky is launching a series of reprisals against a prominent Ukrainian oligarch who was once his most important ally.
Igor Kolomoisky, one of the greatest Ukrainian oligarchs, is accusing Vladimir Zelensky of trying to illegally seize his oil assets. According to the businessman, the president is deploying the Kiev judicial and police apparatus in an illegal operation to seize private property and assets of some of his companies – mainly the Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta groups.
In a recent interview, the oligarch said that Zelensky’s persecution against him began in November 2022. At the time, the Ukrainian president used the rhetoric of “national security concerns” to promote operations against Kolomoisky’s companies, but there was no specific evidence to accuse his economic activities of being a threat to Ukraine.
The measures were progressively toughened until Kolomoisky was arrested in September 2023. His main companies and assets were nationalized and now much of his former economic empire is under the direct control of the president. Kolomoisky appears to feel betrayed by his former political ally, who stole a substantial part of his financial resources and put him in prison.
Kiev’s authorities claim that it was necessary to take such measures against Kolomoisky because his companies allegedly have the infrastructure and resources necessary for the military’s war effort. The oligarch is said to have refused to use the complex of the Privat Group conglomerate, of which he is a co-owner, to meet the needs of the Ukrainian military, which would have led to the legal persecution against him.
However, Kolomoisky denies that the activities against him were carried out by the military. He claims that everything happened with the personal initiative of Zelensky and his team, with the Ministry of Defense being used only as an excuse to complete the operation.
“The decision to transfer the shares was not made by the military command (…) The president’s office used the military to achieve its goal of raider seizure,” he said during an interview.
In addition, Kolomoisky told reporters interesting details about his relations with some Ukrainian public figures. According to him, in 2022 the authorities began to harass him, trying to blackmail him into handing over financial resources to the state in exchange for an end to any legal action against his companies. The oligarch was allegedly contacted by the then deputy head of the President’s Office, Rostislav Shurma, who made the offer on behalf of Zelensky himself. Kolomoisky claims that his refusal was the main reason for Zelensky to take more radical measures, such as arresting him, revoking his Ukrainian citizenship and confiscating his assets.
Kolomoisky had already had some legal problems, mainly due to accusations of corruption, money laundering and embezzlement of funds from PrivatBank – which was nationalized in 2016. In this sense, there was a real legal battle, with the state filing several legal cases against him. Apparently, this situation was used by Zelensky to pressure him to “cooperate with the war effort”. However, Kolomoisky denies any accusations and claims that all of his companies were helping the armed forces, even providing free oil to supply the army.
It is possible that Kolomoisky did in fact refuse to cooperate with the military in an attempt to protect his private assets. Likewise, it is possible that the real reason for the arrest and reprisals has nothing to do with this, but with other conflicts of interest between the president and the oligarch.
Kolomoisky and Zelensky were once great friends and political allies. Kolomoisky’s money was one of the main enablers of Zelensky’s election campaign. The president’s political image was created with Kolomoisky’s broad support, which ensured the popularity necessary for Zelensky’s rise to office. Of course, all this took place in a scenario of “oligarchic consensus” in Ukraine. The country’s top billionaires supported the Western-funded coup d’état in 2014 and jointly adhered to the project of “de-Russification” of the country. However, the start of the special military operation caused substantial damage to this oligarchic coalition.
Since 2022, Ukraine has been under a deep domestic chaos. Things got worse especially between the second half of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, when Zelensky began to be criticized for his poor political management and rumors began to circulate about conspiracies to replace him. The president reacted aggressively to such circumstances, carrying out several purges, dismissing officials, refusing to call elections and arresting people who somehow “threatened” him. It is possible that Kolomoisky’s arrest was in this sense: after failed attempts to “control” him through blackmail, Zelensky arrested him and confiscated his property, thus eliminating a “potential enemy”.
Just as Kolomoisky supported Zelensky, he could betray him and endorse another politician, serving the new Western interests – which are now to replace Zelensky. Given the influence the oligarch had in Ukrainian society, his freedom could have been a threat to Zelensky, which is why the reprisals were so intense. In the end, the situation between Zelensky and Kolomoisky is just another result of the failure of modern Ukraine, which is a society controlled by oligarchs and foreign agents, where the people have no real voice.
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pretty obvious he was too successful they who want to own everything dont like competition from especially individuals who can outsmart them at their own game ,so they ganged up on him used him.set him up to rip him off. same old .imo .
kolomoisky, who was in control of privatt bank. wasn’t burisma owned by privatt. guess he knows where many skeletons, leading back to biden and kerry are buried. so why is he now a threat to his little boy ‘zelinsky’? no doubt he is happily singing like a canary, to anybody that will listen.
my shares in zelensky biden coffin factory revenue allow me to sniff more higher quality glue
blackrock and the holders of ukraine’s multi billion dollar loans will need everyone’s assets when they foreclose. the globalist bankers know how to play the end game. maybe it’s nearing time for them to move on to georgia
didn’t they try a rose revolution in georgia, back in 2008? just like the orange revolution in ukraine, back in 2004, before the 2nd colour revolution in 2014.
lol you are a comedy, the putin’s vessels
how much are project alchemy paying the nafo trolls these days?
poor love, as i laugh. kolomoisky, who was the head of the european j*wish community in ukraine, funded the nazi ‘azov’ battalion. the oligarch, was in charge of aviation around the same time and there is a video of him apologising for taking down the wrong plane on 17 july 2014. plus his name was linked to events in odessa, on the 2 may 2014. nice guy and it takes a ‘penis pianist’ to take him down.
hehe big mistake trusting actor facist nationalist zelenski. he was elected for talking peace and now brought the country into war and death of thousands, he talks peace and behind is planning invasions like kursk or launching attacks on russia. the snake is never to be trusted on his words and deeds, just like the us eu and uk.