One of Ukraine’s richest men, who supported President Volodymyr Zelensky and gave him his big acting break, has been targeted in a swoop on high-profile figures.
Raids were conducted as part of an anti-corruption purge as Ukraine seeks to clean up its image while receiving billions in international support.
Security services searched the home of media, oil and banking tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine’s most well-known figures.
The billionaire was considered one of Mr Zelensky’s key backers and his TV channel gave Mr Zelensky his break with the comedy series Servant of the People.
Mr Zelensky, who first came to fame on Mr Kolomoisky’s channel, has long promised to rid Ukraine of so-called oligarchs but had faced accusations that he was unable to move decisively against his former sponsor.
A former interior minister was also targeted in the blitz.
The action, days before a summit with the European Union, appears to reflect determination by Ukraine to demonstrate that it can be a steward of billions of dollars in foreign aid.
It came as Ukraine has secured huge pledges of foreign weapons in recent weeks offering new capabilities – the latest expected this week to include rockets from the US that would nearly double the firing range of Ukrainian forces.
Photographs circulating on social media appeared to show Mr Kolomoisky dressed in a sweatsuit and looking on in the presence of an SBU security service officer at his home.
The SBU said it had uncovered the embezzlement of more than $US1 billion ($1.4 billion) at Ukraine’s biggest oil company, Ukrnafta, and its biggest refiner, Ukrtatnafta.
Mr Kolomoisky, who has long denied wrongdoing, once held stakes in both firms, which Mr Zelensky ordered seized by the state in November under martial law.
The raid on Ihor Kolomoisky’s home. Photo: Ukraine Economic Security Bureau
Separate raids were carried out at the tax office, and the home of Arsen Avakov, who led Ukraine’s police force as interior minister from 2014-2021.
The SBU said it was cracking down on “people whose actions harm the security of the state in various spheres” and promised more details in coming days.
“Every criminal who has the audacity to harm Ukraine, especially in the conditions of war, must clearly understand that we will put handcuffs on his hands,” Ukraine’s security service chief Vasyl Malyuk was quoted as saying on the SBU Telegram channel.
The prosecutor general’s office said the top management of Ukrtatnafta had been notified it was under suspicion, as were a former energy minister, a former deputy defence minister and other officials.
Following Wednesday’s raids, the parliamentary leader of Mr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, David Arakhamia, wrote on Telegram: “The country will change during the war. If someone is not ready for change, then the state itself will come and help them change.”
Mr Kolomoisky, who faces a fraud case in the US, has been at the centre of corruption allegations and court disputes for years that foreign donors have said must be resolved for Ukraine to win aid.
In an address overnight before the raids, Mr Zelensky alluded to new anti-corruption measures in time for Friday’s summit, at which Ukraine is expected to seek firm steps towards joining the EU.
“We are preparing new reforms in Ukraine. Reforms that will change the social, legal and political reality in many ways, making it more human, transparent and effective,” he said, promising to reveal the details soon.
