UKR-TAZ

While Christian Neef’s article “Yanukovych’s Fall: The Power of Ukraine’s Billionaires” was published over a month ago, I had neglected to mention it at the time.

The article provides useful context for understanding the role of two of the most powerful oligarchic backers of the Yanukovych regime, Rinat Akhmetov and Dmitry Firtash, in the fall of Yanukovych and the transition to the current interim government.

The article was written before Firtash’s arrest on March 13 in Austria. He has since been indicted on U.S. bribery charges tied to a $500 million Indian mining project. He is fighting extradition to the U.S. on those charges.

(It should be added that while Akhmetov is unquestionably the world’s wealthiest Ukrainian citizen, Firtash, whose wealth comes largely from the gas industry, is not generally considered among the wealthiest ten or so. But the others have been less enthusiastic in their direct support of Yanukovych and his Party of Regions.)

Part 1 of the article can be read here;   Part 2 — here.