Immense power and no accountability often lead to corruption. Zelensky is no exception. The West hyped him as the crusader for justice, the force fighting the evil, the light that will eliminate Russian shadows. And then they just forgot about accountability. Zelensky soon found himself having a free run at literally everything. And turns out that Kyiv businessman Igor Kolomoisky became one of his many victims.
Kolomoisky was a mentor and a key ally of Zelensky. Today he is languishing in jail. He once owned a multi-millionaire oil company; today he claims it was hijacked by Zelensky. He accuses the supreme leader of Ukraine of stealing his company.
In a recent interview with UNIAN agency, Kolomoisky described how his shares in critical companies were taken by the government in November two years back. This was done under the excuse of national security, but Kolomoisky believes there was more to the story. Zelensky claimed at the time that the move was necessary to protect the country, especially during the ongoing war with Russia.
Kolomoisky has been in jail since September last year. He believes that the government’s decision to take his businesses was not really about national security. Instead, he says it was a deliberate attempt by Zelensky to remove him as a political rival and take over his companies.
Kolomoisky was once one of Ukraine’s most powerful business figures. As a co-owner of the Privat Group, he had significant influence in Ukraine’s business and media sectors. And then, the government used the war and the needs of the military as an excuse to seize control of his two major oil companies.
He explained that the move to take over the shares did not come from the military. Instead, he claims it was directed by Zelensky’s office. “The president’s office used the military to justify their takeover,” Kolomoisky said.
Kolomoisky also talked about being blackmailed. He said that Rostislav Shurma, who was the Deputy Head of the President’s Office at the time, tried to pressure him. Shurma allegedly suggested that Kolomoisky should give up his shares voluntarily. In return, the government would help resolve his legal issues. When Kolomoisky refused, he says Zelensky secretly took away his nationality and seized his businesses anyway.
This happened despite Kolomoisky’s past support for Zelensky.
Kolomoisky is today facing serious legal charges. He is accused of money laundering and embezzling funds from PrivatBank, which was taken over by the government in 2016. As he deals with these charges, Kolomoisky continues to argue that the seizure of his businesses was unfair and politically motivated.
Now, this episode speaks volume of the fact that Ukraine today has become a black hole, where no one knows what’s happening inside. Ukraine continues to be one of the world’s most-corrupt nations.
In January this year, it was revealed that Kyiv officials in the defence ministry embezzled almost $40 million earmarked to buy 100,000 mortar shells for the war with Russia. Then in April this year, Ukraine’s agriculture minister Mykola Solskyi was detained after being named as a formal suspect in a multimillion-dollar corruption inquiry. Solskyi was accused of illegally seizing land worth more than $7m (£5.6m) when he was the head of a major farming company. Zelensky also had to sack the country’s defence minister last year over a series of procurement scandals in the army and the move only after the West exerted pressure for transparency.
The new administration is on the way in US. And we sincerely hope that Trump will dig out these dirty Zelensky Files and fire him at an appropriate time.
