16,335. That’s the number of amendments proposed in an unsuccessful effort to hold up banking reform legislation in Ukraine, necessary to secure a loan from the IMF. Behind the amendment sludge, critics say, was Igor Kolomoisky, a Ukrainian oligarch and ex-banker. This week, the parliament in Kyiv circumvented the amendments to pass legislation for the IMF loan. Another number – 13 – represents the tally of criminal inquiries the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) has opened against ex-president (and oligarch) Petro Poroshenko. This week the DBR summoned Poroshenko for questioning and named him as a criminal suspect. Poroshenko’s attorney tore into the agency, arguing the move was rife with procedural errors.
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Then-Ukraine's President and presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko (L) attends a policy debate with his rival, comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium on April 19, 2019, in Kyiv. Zelensky won the presidential election two days later, on April 21, 2019, becoming the sixth president of Ukraine.
