The governing party, and the president who leads it, has long been the target of rumors that it bears undue loyalty to one of Ukraine’s more infamous oligarchs, Ihor Kolomoisky. Kolomoisky, the former owner of Ukraine’s largest bank, Privatbank, left Ukraine under the administration of Petro Poroshenko, entering self-exile when the bank was nationalized due to a $5.5 billion hole in the bank’s finances – the money Kolomoisky allegedly stole. However, his return the previous month has sparked concerns that the oligarch is looking to put pressure on the new government, which resulted in the Office of President putting out an official statement saying that there is no basis for the bank’s return.
Oligarch Watch
Hromadske: Servant of the People splits over ‘Kolomoisky question’
Oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky talks to journalists at the Yalta European Strategy conference in Kyiv on Sept. 13, 2019.
