Verkhovna Rada declares war on Kolomoyskiy | Ukraina.ru

The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada has passed a bill stripping notorious business oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskiy of control over Ukrnafta, a leading national oil and gas company

Although the Ukrainian state had a majority stake (50 percent plus one vote) in the company, old legislation stipulated a 60 percent quorum for decision-making purposes. Kolomoyskiy who had a 42 percent stake in Ukrnafta was able to block any decision of the shareholders’ board.

Mustafa Nayem, a member of the ruling Petro Poroshenko bloc, called this decision revolutionary.

"A small revolution has taken place, with the parliament passing a law on reducing the quorum at general shareholders’ meeting from 60 percent plus one vote to 50 percent plus one vote. This drastically alters relations between the state and private capital at state-owned companies and ends the scheming of minority shareholders," Nayem wrote on his Facebook account.

He noted that shareholding companies with state capital would have to comply with the law immediately after it is signed, and that private companies would have to do the same starting with January 1, 2016.

The bill was initiated by MP Oleh Lyashko, who has been fighting Kolomoyskiy for about six months. Surprisingly, Lyashko was supported by the Petro Poroshenko bloc and some members of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s parliamentary party.

Complete story at - Verkhovna Rada declares war on Kolomoyskiy | Ukraina.ru

Sorry, Europe, Kolomoisky gets a monopoly over Ukrainian skies - Fort Russ

The Ministry of Transport of Ukraine has developed a new set of regulations for airlines obtaining the rights to fly over Ukraine. The document was registered at the Ministry of Justice on November 18.

The essence of the new rules is the following. First, 50% of airlines conducting international flights, must be owned by citizens of Ukraine. Secondly, in order to obtain the right to operate international flights, the airline must first conduct domestic flights within Ukraine for a year.

But that's not it. Besides these conditions, an airline must first win a tender conducted by the Ministry of Transport. It will take into account such criteria as a number of flights performed during the last three years, the fleet size and the amount of taxes paid.

The Ministry of Transport argued that the new rules came from the best of intentions: to protect the interests of domestic airlines and develop internal air routes.

Technically the officials seem to be telling the truth - though not all. It's really about a protection of domestic business, but more precisely - very specific businessmen.

For example, in 2013, the share of domestic airlines in Ukraine accounted for 63.5%. Of that 49,8% belonged to "International Airlines of Ukraine," owned by the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky. Another 5,6% belonged to the airline "Roza Vetrov", which is also associated with Kolomoisky. He is also the owner of the airline "Dnepravia".

In other words, out of 63.5 percent of the market owned by domestic airlines, at least 55,4% is owned by Kolomoisky. And this therefore means that the protection of the interests of 'national carriers' is 80% protection of Kolomoisky's interest.

In addition, since 2014, the Ministry of Transport is headed by Denis Antonyuk, who previously worked for 11 years ... at "International Airlines of Ukraine" owned by Igor Kolomoisky. What an amazing coincidence!

Complete story at - Sorry, Europe, Kolomoisky gets a monopoly over Ukrainian skies - Fort Russ

Fort Russ: Kolomoisky declares war on Poroshenko

Blogger/Media Expert Anatoly Sharij

Igor Valerevich Kolomoisky is in a difficult situation. And Petro Poroshenko, whose surrounding frankly missed the swelling abscess in the form of a powerful opposition, is already faced with a blatant mud-slinging through incessant leaks in oligarch-controlled media.

About the effectiveness of such leaks, no matter how immoral and ridiculous, ask Oleg Lyashko, who lost a huge percentage of potential voters in a targeted bombardment from Channel 1+1.

It becomes quite obvious that as a result of negotiations around the coalition, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, no doubt - a henchman of Igor Valerievich, will not receive positions expected by Kolomoisky.

This situation is clearly not acceptable to the sponsor of Arseniy Petrovych and "Popular Front."

Privat Group, which is actually in bankruptcy, is not receiving refinancing of Privat Bank from the NBU (National Bank of Ukraine), as it was done during the time of Cubiv, when already lost property was used as a collateral, have not been able to adequately profit from the war, lost assets in Crimea and the East, and has no options for maneuver.

It has to strike. And the target is the President, who controls NBU (through Gontareva), which is a barrier to the implementation of lobbying decisions in favor of Privat. If the Cabinet will not belong to Kolomoisky, the oligarch will lose.

Complete story at - Fort Russ: Kolomoisky declares war on Poroshenko

Ukrainian billionaire Kolomoisky to be stripped of his assets in Crimea | Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

MOSCOW, September 3 (RAPSI) – Crimean authorities have decided to nationalize property of Ukrainian billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky located within the territory of the republic, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.

Lawmakers of the State Council of Crimea, the parliament of the republic, supported the initiative submitted by Acting Head of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov almost unanimously.

Russia’s Investigative Committee is looking for assets Kolomoisky may own in Russia, including in Crimea, and which may be seized, committee’s spokesman Vladimir Markin said Tuesday. A court in Moscow has already seized a business center owned by Elite Holding, a company co-founded by Kolomoisky.

A criminal case has been opened in Russia against Kolomoisky and Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov under Russian articles on “the masterminding of murder, the use of prohibited methods and means of warfare, abduction, and the hindering of the legitimate activities of journalists.”

Kolomoisky is one of Ukraine’s richest people, whose personal wealth is estimated by Forbes at $1.8 billion.

Complete story at - Ukrainian billionaire Kolomoisky to be stripped of his assets in Crimea | Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

Kolomoisky (L)

Moscow court orders seizure of business center owned by Kolomoisky | Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

MOSCOW, September 2 (RAPSI) – A court in Moscow has granted a request which was filed by investigators seeking to seize property belonging to Ukrainian billionaire and warlord Ihor Kolomoisky implicated in a criminal case and arrested in absentia, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told journalists on Tuesday.

A business center owned by Elite Holding, a company co-founded by Kolomoisky, was placed under restraint while the company was barred from running the building, acording to Markin.

"Kolomoisky could be using lease revenue to finance criminal operations in southeast Ukraine,” he said, adding that searches were conducted at the premises and documents linked to the criminal case seized.

The Investigative Committee is looking for other assets Kolomoisky may own in Russia, including in Crimea, and which may be seized, Markin said.

A criminal case has been opened in Russia against Kolomoisky and Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov under Russian articles on “the masterminding of murder, the use of prohibited methods and means of warfare, abduction, and the hindering of the legitimate activities of journalists.”

Complete story at - Moscow court orders seizure of business center owned by Kolomoisky | Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

Kolomoisky (L)

Vladimir Suchan: Kolomoysky on behalf of Ukrainian fascism: Oligarchy in Ukraine is dead!

Recently, Igor Kolomeysky, the principal financier and brain behind the Ukainian fascist oligarchy, gave an interview to Poroshenko's TV 5th Channel. In that interview, he tried to do a remarkable thing--to deny that the same oligarchs who controlled everything in Ukraine before the Maidan are still there (now with lots of help from avowed fascists) and that they are oligarchs.

An interesting question, worthy of a graduate seminar at which students like to defend sometimes the most implausible opinions, then is how to deny what is a basic and most self-evident fact?

As Kolomeysky knows or believes, it is quite simple: one has to deny the obvious. One just needs to do it very authoritatively and announce it, if possible, through controlled "public", that is, corporate media, if possible through the very same which the self-same oligarchs control. For would the oligarchs lie?

So this what Kolomeysky said in order to assure the deceived people of Ukraine: "With the flight of Yanukovich, oligarchy has died here. And with the attack on Ukraine by Russia, there are no oligarchs in our country anymore."

Kolomeysky's brazen denial contains within itself an interesting sophism though. For, however, his denial is stupid, it might still work for those who do need something--anything--to maintain their denial or reality and cognitive assistance. In this regard, and for those people, almost anything what dear leaders say is good enough.

But Kolomeysky himself is no stupid man. I do believe that he is by far the most cunning and smart brain with the fascist oligarchy has. And this means that Kolomeysky's stupid statement does also contain or hide within some more interesting points. To indicate what it could be, one has to be a bit esoteric. In this light, Kolomeysky's declaration indicates several things:

Complete story at - Vladimir Suchan: Logos politikos: Kolomoysky on behalf of Ukrainian fascism: Oligarchy in Ukraine is dead!

Dmitry Minin – Ukraine Turf Wars, Kolomoisky vs. Poroshenko - Strategic Culture Foundation

The civil war in Ukraine is in full swing. The strong and influential ones start serious turf wars trying to cook a hare before catching him. Donbass and the control over Ukraine are at stake. Petro Poroshenko and his team believe the position of President paves the way for full control over Ukraine. But Igor Kolomoisky, a tycoon to have great ambitions and is hardly immune to greed, may think otherwise.

The third richest man in Ukraine (Poroshenko tops the first ten) the governor of Dnepropetrovsk region funded private armed formations known for waging a tough fight against the self-defense forces – they are battalions Dnepr, Azov, Aidar, Donbass. He compensated the expenditure by providing regular logistics to the regular army. With the thugs joining his formations, Kolomoisky hopes to be able to call the shots in Ukraine. His main interest is property. He wants to own the riches of the leading tycoon Rinat Akhmetov ($15 billion in comparison with only $3, 9 billion in case of Kolomoisky). The way to do it is to confiscate the companies that belong to Akhmetov and transfer them to someone reliable (probably meaning himself). At one of the meetings Kolomoisky said the state had to confiscate the property: factories and shares, of those who took the side of separatists and who is involved in funding terrorism in the country. According to Kolomoisky, dozens of industrial facilities have been appropriated without competition, now Yanukovych and his team uses the profits for killing their own compatriots.

Predominantly residing in Switzerland, Kolomoisky finds ways to control the Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa and Kharkov regions. At the moment his influence is getting spread around the regions of Donetsk, Zaporozhye, and Nikolaev. He puts forward the idea of dividing the Donetsk region by making separate the Priazov region with Mariupol as its capital… His ambitions go as far as to become the provincial governor of the whole south-east of Ukraine with its two thirds of national GDP. It’ll make President Poroshenko a ‘lame duck” with no leverage to rule the country.

Actually Kolomoisky does not care much about Ukraine, but he does really care about his Jewish compatriots living in Israel. Ukrainian national news - UNN information agency published the revelations of the well-known expert, the veteran of Israeli Shin Bet ("Shabak"), the organization responsible for internal security, Alex Groissman who believes that the recent events in the Middle East make more Israelis consider the possibility of moving to Ukraine. They pin their hopes on Kolomoisky to save them from Islamic militants. They believe their job is done; they pushed the Soviet Union and then China from the Middle East and controlled the restive Arab neighbors. Now as Washington uses the controlled chaos to clean the way for the emergence of new quasi-states under its control capturing new oil and gas deposits on the way, Israel with its special vision of the Middle East becomes expendable there.

Complete story at - Dmitry Minin – Ukraine Turf Wars, Kolomoisky vs. Poroshenko - Strategic Culture Foundation

Ukraine's Secret Weapon: Feisty Oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky - WSJ

NoBC4U Note: Yeah, generally I don't give the WSJ exposure here, but face it. Small media outlets won't get access to Ihor Kolomoisky.  Only the biggies.

DNIPROPETROVSK, Ukraine — Leaning over a map of eastern Ukraine on his desk, Gennady Korban gripped a ballpoint pen and drew a squiggling blue line down its center.

The border, he said, marked the battlefront in his country's war with pro-Russia separatists. One side was stable, rid of "troublemakers," he said. On the other are "maniacs," he said. "Men without families, who don't want families, they just like war." If they cross over the line, he said, "we'll just have to kill them."

He called the border "Kolomoisky's line"—after his billionaire boss, who is emerging as one of the more unlikely protagonists to emerge from Ukraine's fight for survival.

When its high-profile conflict with Russia began, the fledgling government in Kiev was caught flat-footed, with an army with little fighting experience or funding. Enter Ihor Kolomoisky, a 51-year-old outspoken banking tycoon. Now recently appointed by the country's president as governor of Dnipropetrovsk region in eastern Ukraine, he has decided to dip into his fortune to bolster that army and defend the homeland.

So far, that has included buying tires, car batteries and fuel for army units, as well outfitting local militias. He also announced a program to buy up contraband weapons and offer a $10,000 bounty for any pro-Russia militant captured with a gun. Without disclosing numbers, Mr. Kolomoisky's deputies call the program a success, though they say a few drunks have tried to turn in some compatriots for reward.

Complete story at - Ukraine's Secret Weapon: Feisty Oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky - WSJ



Kolomoisky (L)