ASSESSMENTS
Ukrainian Oligarch Signals Compromise With Kiev
Mar 30, 2015 | 17:45 GMT
(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.
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