ASSESSMENTS

Ukrainian Oligarch Signals Compromise With Kiev

Mar 30, 2015 | 17:45 GMT

Ukrainians take part in a March 28 Dnipropetrovsk rally organized by powerful oligarch and former regional governor Igor Kolomoisky and his allies to show unity between regional and central authorities.
Ukrainians take part in a March 28 Dnipropetrovsk rally organized by powerful oligarch and former regional governor Igor Kolomoisky and his allies to show unity between regional and central authorities.

(GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Summary

On March 28, three days after Igor Kolomoisky, the former governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, was forced out of his post, his political team organized a rally in the regional capital. A few thousand people gathered and listened as Ukrainian bands performed. Members of Kolomoisky's staff gave speeches emphasizing their achievements while in office and the need for preserving Ukraine's unity. But one key Dnipropetrovsk leader was conspicuously absent: Kolomoisky himself.

Reports indicate the former governor is in Switzerland, though no official explanation for his decision to travel has been issued. Kolomoisky's choice not to attend a rally designed to highlight his achievements signals that — at least in the near term — the oligarch will not directly challenge President Petro Poroshenko. Nevertheless, Kolomoisky's influence in key sectors of Ukraine's economy and several major political parties guarantees that he will continue to play a role in Ukraine's politics — a role he could eventually use to compete with the country's oligarchs and shape policymaking.

Three days after Igor Kolomoisky publicly clashed with Kiev and was forced to leave the governorship, both sides have chosen to avoid further confrontation -- at least for now....

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