Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky returned to his homeland after two years of absence. This is with reference to the businessman himself reports the Ukrainian edition of The Babel.

Earlier, the Ukrainian journalist Mikhail Tkach reported that Kolomoisky had delivered to Dnepropetrovsk at 2:30 local time an aircraft of the Privat group with a UR-PRT tail number. According to the Ukrainian journalist Yury Butusov, businessman Timur Mindich and People’s Deputy of the Vidrodzhennya faction Andrei Shipko flew in with Kolomoisky.

According to TheBabel, Kolomoisky does not yet know what exactly he will do next. Earlier, Ukrainian media reported that on May 12, his closest business partner, Gennady Bogolyubov, returned to Ukraine from Tel Aviv.

In 2014, after the coup d'état in Ukraine, Igor Kolomoisky headed the administration of the Dnipropetrovsk region. At the same time, the Investigation Committee of Russia declared him on the international wanted list, accusing him of organizing murders, using prohibited means of warfare, kidnapping and obstructing the activities of journalists.

After the conflict with President Petro Poroshenko and the nationalization of the largest asset of the Privat group, PrivatBank, Igor Kolomoisky left Ukraine. He was last in Ukraine in 2017. Oligarch lived in Switzerland, since September last year - in Israel. In the presidential elections in Ukraine, Igor Kolomoisky supported the showman Vladimir Zelensky. The candidate who won the election played the role of the Ukrainian leader in the TV series “Servant of the People”, which was broadcast on the “1 + 1” TV channel owned by Kolomoisky.

"They are afraid of redistribution"

Earlier in an interview with Bihus.info, Igor Kolomoisky announced his intention to return to Ukraine, but only after the inauguration of Zelensky. Then the disgraced oligarch explained this decision by the reluctance to “improve the statistics” to Petro Poroshenko.

“Because they will say: how many oligarchs have returned under Poroshenko-Kolomoisky, there is one. I want the score on the scoreboard to change, and record my return to Zelensky, ”Kolomoisky stressed then.

In Ukrainian social networks they linked the arrival of Kolomoisky with the desire of the oligarch to strengthen control over Vladimir Zelensky. “Kolomoisky flew in tonight. Freaked out. I decided to show who is “daddy” here, ”writes journalist of the portal Strana.ua Olesya Medvedeva.

“Giuliani hints to Ze that he should distance himself from Kolomoisky, but Uncle Igor immediately flies to Ukraine to control his stepson,” notes the popular Twitter, “Evil Odessans.”

“Well, now it all starts. Now it all happens. Inauguration, landings, ups and downs, ”suggested Ukrainian blogger Yury Kasyanov.

As noted in an interview with RT, a source in the Self-Help party (its leader is Lviv Mayor Andrei Sadovaya - RT ), most likely, the oligarch decided to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the transit of power.

“Igor Kolomoisky most likely wants to solve the main issues before the inauguration of Vladimir Zelensky. Now in Ukraine is a period of powerlessness - the new president has not yet begun to fulfill his duties, and the previous one is already preparing to leave. This is the best time to win all the courts on PrivatBank or to come to Ukraine. No one will be able to accuse Vladimir Zelensky of helping the oligarch, ”the source explained.

Recall that on May 13, the National Bank of Ukraine lost an appeal to Kolomoisky in a case concerning the nationalization of PrivatBank. In April, a court in Kiev declared illegal the grounds for the acquisition by the state of PrivatBank. On May 15, the expert of the team of Vladimir Zelensky, Victoria Strakhova, offered to return to Kolomoisky 2 billion hryvnias for PrivatBank by mutual accounting.

Despite the fact that earlier Kolomoisky claimed that he did not intend to “revenge” his opponents, including Petro Poroshenko and the former head of the National Bank, Valeria Gontaryova, RT interlocutors expect from the oligarch active steps to return the previously taken assets.

“Businessmen are waiting for the unknown,” says a RT source in the Popular Front party. - The connection between Igor Kolomoisky and the new president is obvious. Everyone in Ukraine is well aware of the methods that Kolomoisky uses. Therefore, everyone is afraid of the redistribution of property. ”

The interlocutor of RT admitted that those “companies with Russian capital” that still operate in Ukraine may suffer. According to the representative of the "Popular Front", against them "can start a real war."

However, a number of experts adhere to the opposite opinion. Thus, the director of the Kiev Center for Political Studies and Conflictology, Mikhail Pogrebinsky, believes that in the near future the oligarch is unlikely to take drastic steps.

  • Vladimir Zelensky
  • Reuters
  • © Valentyn Ogirenko

“It is clear that a whole stream of“ walkers ”will reach Igor Kolomoisky, who through him will try to influence the situation. But Kolomoisky is cunning and clever, he is well aware that directly lobbying private interests through the proximity to the new president is unprofitable for him, Pogrebinsky said in a conversation with RT. “He can benefit much more from all of this after a certain time, but not at the moment.”

“Arrange an appointment”

Kolomoisky returned to Ukraine against the backdrop of the opposition of the elected President of Zelensky and Petro Poroshenko, caused by a prolonged transit of power. The Rada, dominated by supporters of the current head of the Ukrainian state, postponed the inauguration of Zelensky, until, on a vote on Thursday, she still chose May 20 as the date for the new president to take office. At the same time, Zelensky himself insisted on May 19.

Earlier, Zelensky drew attention to the fact that Petro Poroshenko, delaying the transfer of power, commits "irreversible actions": he distributes the ranks of generals, appoints judges of the Supreme Court and new officials. The Poroshenko-controlled Rada passes laws challenging the elected president, for example, the so-called language law.

The former showman compared the incumbent with a “tourist in an Egyptian hotel,” who “drags towels and takes everything from the buffet.”

The western partners of Kiev also responded to the behavior of Poroshenko: the ambassadors of the G7 countries urged him to ensure a smooth transfer of power to Zelensky.

According to the RT source in the Petro Poroshenko’s Block, the goal of Kolomoisky’s visit to Ukraine is to personally agree with the representatives of the Ukrainian elite on the “rules of the game” under the new president.

“Most likely, he will need to create a loyal majority in parliament, to agree on the appointment of ministers. He has much more experience in this matter than Zelensky, ”stressed the source from Poroshenko’s RT party.

Earlier, Igor Kolomoisky, in an interview with a number of media, gave some advice to the team of Vladimir Zelensky. So, he recommended leaving Arseny Avakov as the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Yuriy Lutsenko - as head of the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, at least until the new elections to the Rada. Prior to this, Zelensky himself and representatives of his team said that Lutsenko should leave. Another one staged by Petro Poroshenko, the scandalous head of Naftogaz, Andrei Kobolev, was recommended to be increased by appointing Ukraine as prime minister.

  • Meeting Room of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
  • globallookpress.com
  • © Danil Shamkin / ZUMAPRESS.com

Also, according to the oligarch, Andrei Bogdan, a lawyer who previously represented the interests of Kolomoisky himself, would have been best to be the head of the presidential administration of Ukraine. In addition, the founder of PrivatBank also suggested that the current president, Petro Poroshenko, could become Foreign Minister or Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States.

Outer contour

Sources of RT in Ukrainian political circles say that Kolomoisky is more interested in domestic policy than in foreign policy.

“He didn’t even mind that the Foreign Ministry was still headed by Pavel Klimkin. But they were opposed to this by Poroshenko’s entourage, and Klimkin announced his resignation, ”the RT interviewee from the Radical Party of Oleg Lyashko claims.

According to Mikhail Pogrebinsky, the return of Kolomoisky to Ukraine may also be due to the fact that “Vladimir Zelensky is recognized both in the West and in the East,” which means that Kolomoisky may not fear persecution in the last days of the rule of Petro Poroshenko.

Earlier, Zelensky was criticized for being close to Kolomoisky, including in the West. So, in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Anopchenko, Donald Trump's attorney Rudi Giuliani recommended that the elected president of Ukraine "get rid of the past and criminal oligarchs - Igor Kolomoisky and others." Earlier, Giuliani canceled the planned flight to Kiev, saying that there are many “Trump's enemies” surrounded by Zelensky.

Nevertheless, experts note that it is still difficult to say how the return of Kolomoisky will affect the country's foreign policy, if this factor will have any significance at all. The only thing analysts are sure of: Kolomoisky is not the last opponent of Petro Poroshenko, who is ready to return to Ukraine.

  • Mikhail Saakashvili
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  • © Kacper Pempel

“And Saakashvili will soon return to Ukraine for the same reason - resigning as president of Petro Poroshenko,” said Oleg Bondarenko, director of the Foundation for Progressive Politics, in an interview with RT.