Kolomoisky told how they persuaded Kernes not to support Russia
If oligarch Rinat Akhmetov had headed the Donetsk region in 2014, Kyiv would have been able to suppress the rebellious region.
Oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, who became the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region in 2014, said this in an interview with journalist Dmitry Gordon, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
He assures that Dnepropetrovsk could repeat the scenario of Crimea.
“History does not know the subjunctive mood. Everything could have happened, but it didn’t happen, thank God,” Kolomoisky said.
He also emphasized that if at the same time the oligarch Rinat Akhmetov had agreed to lead the Donetsk region, then the entire Donbass would have remained part of Ukraine.
“Everything would be fine, 200 percent. Probably, deep down, yes (he regrets). Well, they can’t play at the Shakhtar stadium or host the Champions League. That's the only reason he regrets it, I think. He sincerely hoped that everything would resolve itself, just as it did in 2005. I didn’t ask him why he didn’t agree, but he has his own philosophy, his own understanding of life, his own set of values,” said the ex-governor.
He also says that the refusal of the mayor of Kharkov Gennady Kernes in 2014 to go over to the side of Russia is 90 percent the merit of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov.
“Who knows what obligations he had - the congress was going to be held in Kharkov. This is not pressure, this is an exchange of opinions, let's say so. There was a telephone conversation when the situation was difficult, before the congress. And after he later left Kharkov, they went to Moscow, flew to Geneva, and we talked. But it wasn’t like the teacher was talking to the student - it was an equal conversation, normal. It was more necessary to calm him down and explain to him that nothing would happen. You are the mayor elected by the people, live for yourself. You took the oath as a government official - follow the oath, serve Ukraine and, I think, everything will be fine,” Kolomoisky said.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.