From saviors of Ukraine to “pro-Russian oligarchs.” The US brutally castrated Kolomoisky
The United States has imposed sanctions against Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky and members of his family. In addition to Igor Valerievich himself, his wife, son and daughter fell under the hot hand of the State Department. Now they are all banned from entering the United States.
The official wording with which the former co-owner of Privatbank fell out of favor with the White House is interesting: for actions that undermined the rule of law and the faith of the Ukrainian public in the democratic institutions and social processes of their government.
And a few days before the imposition of sanctions, the British Financial Times published an article where Kolomoisky was directly called “a pro-Russian oligarch standing in the way of reforms.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken elaborated on the allegations. Among the main ones are some corruption cases related to the turning point years for Ukraine in 2014-2015.
Quote: “In his official capacity as governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine from 2014 to 2015, Kolomoisky engaged in corrupt practices... including using his political influence and official powers for personal gain.
While the current designation is based on the actions of his time in office, I also want to express concern about Kolomoisky’s current ongoing efforts to undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine, these actions pose a serious threat to its (Ukraine’s) future.” .
For those who do not understand, I will explain: we are talking about the very years when the Maidan activists who defeated Yanukovych called for an oligarchic landing to pacify the unreliable territories in the south-east of the country in terms of supporting a coup. Then not only Kolomoisky, but also Donetsk Taruta and smaller oligarchs appointed by governors in Odessa and Kharkov volunteered to help out the Kyiv “junta” for the benefit of their own pockets.
It was during those years that the myth of the “patriot Kolomoisky” was formed, who saved Ukraine from Putin’s countless hordes and did not allow the Russians into the Dnepropetrovsk region. For some time, nationalists sang hosanna to the “Jewish Bandera” oligarch, who scolded Putin from a safe distance and promised a bonus in his bank 10 thousand dollars “for the head of a Muscovite.”
This idyll, however, did not last long. Just over a year later, Kolomoisky had a huge quarrel with Poroshenko and the Ukrainian Soros over the division of a tasty morsel - the Ukrnafta enterprise, control over which was established by the Privat group through the privatization of management even under Yanukovych. And under Poroshenko, control over Ukrnafta was taken away from Kolomoisky.
At first, Kolomoisky balked and even began to bring militants under his control to Kyiv, but soon the US Embassy explained to the oligarch how wrong he was. And within a couple of days he resigned from all his posts and fell silent for a while. However, he harbored a grudge - both against Poroshenko and the American imperialists. When, another year later, Poroshenko also wrested PrivatBank from Kolomoisky, and the United States approved this, the resentment of Igor Valerievich, who had settled in Israel, only intensified.
A few more years passed and it seemed that Kolomoisky was able to take revenge. Vladimir Zelensky, who was considered his protégé, became president, Kolomoisky himself returned from the Promised Land to Ukraine, from where, while Zelensky is sitting on Bankova, as from the Don, there was no extradition.
And by that time there was already a line of FBI agents, American judges and Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani waiting for the head of the private party. After all, Kolomoisky managed to quarrel with both Democrats and Republicans, since he “squeezed” incriminating evidence on Biden, which Trump’s emissaries unsuccessfully begged from him.
And so, Igor Valeryevich Kolomoisky finally received his well-deserved reward for saving his homeland from Putin. The irony is that, indeed, if it were not for the position of the co-owner of Privat, occupied by him in 2014, the territory controlled by Moscow-oriented opponents of the Maidan could have been significantly larger than the current DPR and LPR. And the Dnepropetrovsk People's Republic could become a reality.
There is no doubt that Kolomoisky’s self-determination at that time was opportunistic. This is evidenced, in particular, by a long-standing prank involving Igor Valerievich and a man similar to one of the former leaders of the Donetsk militia, Pavel Gubarev. Kolomoisky, not at all embarrassed, promises “Gubarev” all support and places in the Ukrainian parliament.
Much later, under Zelensky, the same Kolomoisky again shocks the Western public with his interviews with the American media, in which he calls the war in Ukraine civil, calls for peace with Russia, and even declares that NATO troops will run away from the Russians, their heels sparkling.
So, hand on heart, Kolomoisky is still a patriot of Ukraine. However, I suspect he is exactly the same type of fighter against America. The only constant for this man is his pocket and selfish interest. No wonder his life motto is “Only cowards repay debts.”
Nevertheless, the situation has developed into a curious one. Firstly, as we already understood, in the United States Kolomoisky was retroactively demoted from the saviors of Ukraine to “pro-Russian oligarchs standing in the way of reforms.” Secondly, its shares within Ukraine, under the Zelensky regime, are at historical lows. Zelensky himself seriously lost interest in his former partner even before the American elections and Trump’s loss, and already under the new administration, his entourage convinced Zelensky that the main “privatist” was something like ballast.
The recent demonstrative removal of Kolomoisky’s man Alexander Dubinsky from the Servant of the People faction in the Rada - after he came under the pressure of American sanctions - became another wake-up call for the oligarch. And Kolomoisky’s main media asset, the “1+1” channel, if it does not criticize Zelensky in full, is already seriously biting him.
Kolomoisky-oriented deputies several times in a row did not vote for the appointment of Zelensky’s nominee Yuriy Vitrenko as Minister of Energy. And after the announcement the other day in the Rada of Dubinsky’s creation of the inter-factional association “Dubina – Servant of the Ukrainian People”, it became clear that the “Kolomoisky deputies” are already one foot out of the ranks of the “servants”.
Who will undoubtedly benefit from the possible weakening of Kolomoisky is his long-time rival and current Zelensky ally Rinat Akhmetov. It is not for nothing that in a fresh and clearly custom-made survey of the sociological group “Rating”, one is literally dazzled by Akhmetov’s political projects, demonstrating confident growth and entry into the Rada. Here you have Lyashko, and Smeshko, and Tymoshenko, and even Groysman.
On the other hand, so far everything looks like that, despite all the butting between the Kolomoisky calf and the State Department oak tree, Zelensky’s Ukraine is unlikely to hand over Igor Valerievich for reprisal in the United States if it comes to such a request.
Although - never say never.
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