Ukraine’s most powerful oligarchs: Where are they now?

Since Ukraine proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, a large share of its industries has been controlled by oligarchs like Rinat Akhmetov, Victor Pinchuk, Petro Poroshenko, Ihor Kolomoisky, Viktor Medvedchuk and Dmytro Firtash. For decades, they have held massive sway in politics, owned monopolies in industry, and controlled large media empires.
Yet as Russia started its all-out war against Ukraine, things took a dark turn for the tycoons. What has happened to them, their fortune, and political influence?
Timecodes:
00:00 - Intro
00:59 - Viktor Medvedchuk
04:03 - Ihor Kolomoisky
06:54 - Petro Poroshenko
09:52 - Dmytro Firtash
11:21 - Victor Pinchuk
13:14 - Rinat Akhmetov
This video was filmed by Olena Zashko and edited by Dana Yakym
Cover image:
Akhmetov Foundation,
Security Service of Ukraine/Getty Images,
Petro Poroshenko/facebook,
Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images,
GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/ Getty Images

[@bobjohnbowles]

Thanks for posting this. It is very helpful to understand some of the background to Russia's invasion.

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you for your feedback! Please make sure to subscribe to our KZbin channel to watch more videos like this

[@person3952]

Interesting as usual. Thank you for all the high quality material you give us.

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you for watching!

[@beachbum77979]

I learned something again today. The definition of oligarch according to Ukrainian legislation. I didn't realize the financial threshold for being called an oligarch was only $70 million. I would have thought it was at least a billion. Maybe having a monopoly in media and pleasing pootin also weigh more heavily into the equation than I thought. Thank you Natalia and Kyiv Independent. You're doing a vital service for your country by doing a vital service for the world. Thank you. The world needs to know. Love, admiration respect and support from Texas oblast. Slava Ukraini !!!

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you for your support!

[@demitsuru]

They missed a lot of important information about oligarchs in Ukraine. The scope is too huge. I hope Poroshenko and Kolomoyskyi will go to jail.

[@imelnyk5210]

@@demitsuru It's funny how after 4 years of attempts to put Poroshenko into jail proles still hope that he will go to jail, while dozens of the newly elected "new faces" are facing charges almost every week. You are a typical example of the so-called "Homo Soveticus" and it's really a shame. And even now, when you see everything that "new faces" have done you still hate the former President because you can't admit that you made a completely wrong choice. What's even funnier is that you mentioned Kolomoyskyi - the person who spent billions making sure proles would hate Poroshenko. Good job, регочи далі, їш шашлик, і вір в найчеснішого Баканова.

[@gregoryb6]

It's so unusual to see any media expose their own nation's ruling class like this and with a great production and script. Myself I get the most from your interview format but this type of thing should get more views.

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you for watching, and thank you for your feedback! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed both formats :)

[@Poor2net.]

Thank you for this information.

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you for watching!

[@shaunamclarnon8782]

Great work guys!!! I really enjoyed this show! Slava Ukraine!

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you!

[@elavtwi]

Very informative, thank you!

[@kyivindependent]

We are glad you found this video useful. To watch more videos like this, please make sure to subscribe to our KZbin channel

[@alinharagus]

Thank you for what are you doing. I m curious what do you think about Pinchuk. Apart of the foundation that is doing a lot of good meetings with historians, ex presidents, analysts. Thank you again. Update: sorry. My mistake. You talk about him.

[@lilianah3505]

It would be usefull to know how they help Ukraine during the war. That would make all he difference between them.

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you for your comment! And here is your answer: Poroshenko's companies “spent more than $46 million to support the armed forces, said his spokesperson. He’s delivered armored vehicles purchased in Italy and Britain, four-wheel drive pickups, bulletproof vests, helmets, fuel and more.” Akhmetov’s companies provided “more than $100 million in body armor and helmets, materials for fortifications, vehicles for the military, food kits and medicines for civilians.” By late September, Victor Pinchuk had spent “more than $45 million on support for Ukraine’s army and civilians, according to his charitable foundation.” More details - here: www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-oligarch-index-up-down-volodymyr-zelenskyy-vladimir-putin-war/

[@alanmcmillan6969]

Very well said! Thank you. Great to publicly show them for what they are, the powers in russia, Ukraine. What is the future for them now?

[@16252]

interesting, thanks

[@nataliachekotun8604]

Thank you for watching

[@jensfrederikhansen6261]

A small technical commentary. When talking in a foreign language many people are prone to hide their insecurity by not pronouncing the last part of a word. As does the speaker here. Try to work with that. Make the final letters of each word a little more distinct.

[@user-je3sk8cj6g]

Well done for Ukrainians from cleaning their dirty elites

[@khronicallyalien1661]

>>>👍

[@Opfzzwm4-7tvstkjpU]

Excellent video. I sure hope Ihor Kolomoisky receives a lengthy prison sentence from Ukraine and is extradited, preferably to the U.S. This result will help doubters believe Zelenskyy is not into corruption these days.

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you for watching!

[@LenQuerido]

f someone unlawfully accumulates wealth at the expense of others and the state, they should be prosecuted. If someone earns a lot of money lawfully, even though this person avoids taxes, but stays within the law, then he is not punishable. The amount itself is not the problem. It's about how someone gets rich. Thanks for the background. Corruption research and a tax policy are needed.

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you for watching! Please make sure to subscribe to our channel

[@Drufi]

Is Zelenskyy not also named in the Panama papers? Also it’s no great victory that kolomoisky was only detained for 2 months, where’s he now? If US extradition was the motive for removing his citizenship then why haven’t we heard any update about it? I think he is free somewhere laughing it up and probably will never face any real justice for the money laundering charges

[@antonkukoba3378]

So why don't you say how exactly Poroshenko "lost" his billionaire status? Why don't you mention his enormous help to AFU, which none of the rest did. Yep I know "he's just an oligarch".

[@kyivindependent]

Thank you for your comment! Petro Poroshenko is not the only oligarch supporting Ukraine’s Armed Forces. His companies indeed “spent more than $46 million to support the armed forces, said his spokesperson. He’s delivered armored vehicles purchased in Italy and Britain, four-wheel drive pickups, bulletproof vests, helmets, fuel and more.” Akhmetov’s companies provided “more than $100 million in body armor and helmets, materials for fortifications, vehicles for the military, food kits and medicines for civilians.” By late September, Victor Pinchuk had spent “more than $45 million on support for Ukraine’s army and civilians, according to his charitable foundation.” More details - here: www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-oligarch-index-up-down-volodymyr-zelenskyy-vladimir-putin-war/

[@imelnyk5210]

@@kyivindependent Dear Kyiv Independent, if you want to call yourself a journalists(And I am pretty sure you do, considering all your amazing work) please refrain from subjective statements, or give a better explanation of why Poroshenko is an oligarch. Let's take our native definition: Особи, які стали надбагатими не шляхом економічної діяльності, створення матеріальних цінностей чи росту промисловості, а через розграбування вже створеного іншими людьми національного багатства. What exactly makes you think it's about Poroshenko? I thought journalists should have higher standards, otherwise why not just mention that he killed his brother and got richer 82x times? I have a huge respect to the work you do, but words matter. Poroshenko is not an oligarch by any sane definition unless you take into account the recent law that was made specifically to target him. But even if we consider this list not a single person was labeled as an oligarch using it, so it's just plain wrong.

[@hahaxd8845]

All the oligarchs are old men lol

[@clutteredchicagogarage2720]

Kolomoyskyi is a criminal, and he belongs in prison for financial crimes. However, stripping him of Ukrainian citizenship seems completely wrong to me. He is a Ukrainian. He was born in Dnipro. Criminals should be prosecuted for actual crimes committed, but the government should have no right to strip someone of their citizenship for financial crimes. With Medvedchuk, on the other hand, I think it could be reasonable to strip him of Ukrainian citizenship because he committed treason against the Ukrainian government for personal gain and acted as a Russian agent. If someone enriches themselves by conspiring against the Ukrainian government in wartime in coordination with an invading country then it does seem reasonable to strip that person of citizenship if they seek refuge in the hostile foreign nation. I would say this would also be a reasonable treatment for Yanukovych. Otherwise, I've read about all of these Ukrainian oligarchs as well as corruption in Ukrainian politics. I think it's fair to say that without Ukraine's deep corruption, Russia might not have been able to manipulate oligarchs and politicians in Donbas to gain some supporters among organized criminals in Donbas who were allies in Russian-controlled and orchestrated secessionist movements in Donbas. Tragically, many corrupt Ukrainian politicians and oligarchs advanced Russian interests and spread Russian propaganda to enrich themselves through their ties with Russia. Zelensky has taken some anti-democratic political steps during his presidency, but he's probably the first president of Ukraine who has actually taken serious steps to eliminate the deep-rooted corruption in Ukraine. Ukraine will ultimately survive Russia's invasion, and its political institutions will be stronger and more democratic in the future.

[@demitsuru]

Zelensky did nothing anti democratic. Wth you are saying. As president, his main target was to make Ukraine in EU. While previous president backpedaled on this. What anti democratic laws he made before the war? Before and after the war, everything he and his party did only for EU membership. Which has a lot of steps. Also Zelensky was always slandered by pro Russian opposition, which was very comfy at that time with Poroshenko, who is fckng scumbag. A small portion of Ukrainians are brainwashed by him. And they call Zelensky and people who voted for him "not enough Ukrainians". Also people connect Zelensky and Kolomoyskyi which is not true. If you are working in the entertainment industry you do not have enough options.

[@imelnyk5210]

Wow, Zelensky took steps to eliminate corruption when he still has Tatarov in his office? When he personally asked Reznikov to stay? When did his team and he personally make efforts to close the corruption case against Tatarov? Or perhaps when he asked journalists not to speak about corruption? Or maybe when big businesses say that we are slowly going to Yanukovych times? Or perhaps when his party members are charged with corruption every other week? And I won't even mention the attempts to stop Prozorro(the anti-corruption tool that was developed during the previous government and that actually prevented billions of dollars of corruption). All the good steps that were made against corruption were forced by the G7, EU, or IMF. Remember how long they waited with SAP even after G7 specifically asked to finally appoint him. You already mentioned some anti-democratic steps, and you have a person who asks journalists not to speak about corruption, and yet who sees this as a positive thing. Very interesting. I have a deep belief that Ukraine will once prosper, but in order to accomplish it we should have a civil society with a reputation institute. You can't be called a fighter against corruption if the closest people to you are corrupt.

[@oneanywhere8561]

Pronunciation suffers! Speak a bit slower and clearer. Check how professional newscasters speak. Good luck

[@kyivindependent]

Thanks for your feedback!

[@oneanywhere8561]

@@kyivindependent One more note. Do not try to speak like native English speakers, i.e. saying all words with no pauses in between. Check how professional newscasters speak. They do accentuate each interval between words. It is more like speaking Russian, where each word is pronounced separately. Good luck.