Ihor Kolomoyskyi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ihor Valeriyovych Kolomoyskyi (Ukrainian: Ігор Валерійович Коломойський; Russian: Игорь Валерьевич Коломойский, Igor Kolomoisky; born February 13, 1963) is a Ukrainian-Cypriot[5]-Israelibusiness oligarch of Jewish descent and the current Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.[9]

A multibillionaire, Kolomoyskyi is rated as the second or third richest person in Ukraine (after Rinat Akhmetov and/or Viktor Pinchuk) since 2006[10][11] and 377th richest person in the world by the Forbes (as of 2011.)[7] According to the Forbes, his net worth is USD 3b, while the Korrespondent considers it to be USD 6.5b.[8] Kolomoyskyi is the leading partner of the Privat Group and a de facto chairman of the FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.[12]

Ihor Kolomoyskyi's name in English is also spelled as Igor/IhorKolomoyskyi/Kolomoysky/Kolomoisky/Kolomoiskiy/Kolomoyskiy.

Kolomoyskyi is often nicknamed Benya(Беня) (which is a Russian-Jewish short name popular in the early 20th century) and Bonifatsiy after a character in the popular Russian animated film "Каникулы Бонифация" ("Bonifacy's holidays") made in 1965 by Soyuzmultfilm, whose image is visually similar to Kolomoyskyi's in appearance and hairstyle.

Biography[edit]

Kolomoyskyi was born in a Jewish family of engineers. Kolomoyskyi graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute in 1985.[4] He is married with two children.[1][13]

Kolomoyskyi is the co-founder of the PrivatBank (and its informal Privat Group, respectively) and was appointed Chairman of its Board of Directors in 1997.[4][12] Other fields of activity include: ferroalloys, finance, oil products, mass media,[13] metal and petroleum industries (also in Russia and Romania).[14]

Kolomoysky has a triple Ukrainian-Israeli-Cyprus citizenship because dual citizenshipis not recognized by Ukraine[15][16] Kolomoyskyi explained that: "The constitution prohibits double citizenship but triple citizenship is not forbidden.”[17]

Through PrivatBank he controls Aerosvit Airlines, Dniproavia and Donbassaero.[18] Through the asset management company Mansvell Enterprises Limited, he controls Skyways Express, City Airline, and Cimber Sterling aviation companies.[19]

Part of his vast business empire is Burisma Holdings Ldt, Ukraine’s largest private gas firm. Shortly after Russia annexed Crimea, while U. S. Vice-President Joe Biden was engaged in diplomatic talks with Ukraine, Burisma announced that Hunter Biden joined the board of the company.[20]

Kolomoyskyi is a billionaire listed in 2007 by Forbes as the 799th-richest man in the world (with 3.8 billion dollars,[21] in 2010 Kyiv Post estimated his wealth at $6.243 billion.[22]) In March 2012 Forbes placed him 377th with $3 billion.[10] In 2010 Kyiv Post listed Kolomoyskyi as the second richest person in Ukraine;[22] in 2012 Forbes rated him the third richest person in Ukraine.[10] In these lists Kolomoyskyi has only been surpassed in wealth by Rinat Akhmetov or/and Viktor Pinchuk.[10][11]

Since 2010 rumors were circulating that Kolomoiskyi's assets were coming under pressure from the authorities.[22] Kolomoiskyi controls his business empire from Switzerland.[23]

Kolomyski has used Privat's "quasi-military forces" to enforce hostile takeovers of companies, sending a team of "hired rowdies armed with baseball bats, iron bars, gas and rubber bullet pistols and chainsaws" to forcibly take over a Kremenchuk steel plant in 2006,[24] and has used "a mix of phony court orders (often involving corrupt judges and/or registrars) and strong-arm tactics" to replace directors on the boards of companies he purchases stakes in.[25] Kolomyski was criticized by Mr Justice Mann in a court case in London involving an attempted hostile takeover of an oil company, with the judge stating that Kolomyski had "a reputation of having sought to take control of a company at gunpoint in Ukraine" and that there were "strong grounds for doubting the honesty of Mr Kolomoisky".[26]

Kolomoyskyi and Ukrainian politics[edit]

Analysts have listed Kolomoyskyi as an ally of Ukrainian politician Yulia Tymoshenko and her Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko.[4] Although according to RIA Novosti (in January 2010), Kolomoysky relations with Tymoshenko "were soured some time ago, probably due to his refusal to finance Tymoshenko's election campaign" in 2010.[23][27]Croatian newspaper Nacional claimed in September 2007 that Kolomoyskyi had become an ally of (then) Ukrainian PresidentVictor Yushchenko and had financed Yushchenko's Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc.[14]

In the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election Kolomoyskyi was perceived as being one of UDAR’s main sponsors.[23][28] This has been denied by UDAR.[29]

On 2 March 2014, amidst the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine, acting President Oleksandr Turchynov appointed Kolomoyskyi governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.[30] Two days later, Russian PresidentVladimir Putin described Kolomoyskyi as a "unique crook," and said that the citizens of Dnipropetrovsk were not happy with his appointment as Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.[9] In contrast, The Daily Beast, a US publication, wrote in mid-June 2014 that Kolomoyskyi enjoyed the local population's strong support.[31]

In April 2014 Kolomoyskyi offered a bounty for the capture of Russian-backed militants and incentives for the turning in of weapons.[32] He also is believed to have spent $10 million to create the Dnipro Battalion,[31][33] and also funds the Aidar, Azov, Dnepr 1, Dnepr 2, and Donbas volunteer battalions.[34] Members of the Aidar Battalion “have been involved in widespread abuses, including abductions, unlawful detention, ill-treatment, theft, extortion, and possible executions,” according to Amnesty International, while the Azov Battalion was seen flying flags carrying symbols of a Ukraine neo-Nazi party, Patriot of Ukraine.[35]

Russia is asking for Kolomoyskyi to be put on Interpol's wanted list.[36] On 2 July 2014 a Russian District Court authorized his arrest in absentia for "organizing the killing of civilians".[37]

Kolomoyski and Jewish politics[edit]

Kolomoyski is a prominent supporter of Ukraine's Jewish community[38] and the president of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine.[39] In 2010 he was appointed as the president of the European Council of Jewish Communities[40] after promising the outgoing president he would donate $14 million,[41] with his appointment being described as a "putsch"[39][40] and a "Soviet-style takeover"[42] by other EJCJ board members. After several ECJC board members resigned in protest, Kolomyski quit the ECJC and, together with fellow Ukrainian oligarch Vadim Rabinovich, founded the European Jewish Union.[41]

References[edit]

1. ^ abc(Russian)Short bio, LIGA
2. ^Ukrainian president reshuffles Azarov's government, Interfax-Ukraine (24 December 2012)
3. ^(Ukrainian)Колєсніков Дмитро Валерійович, DA-TA
4. ^ abcdIgor KolomoyskyRenaissance Capital
5. ^ abRossier, Roland (2014-05-30). "L’oligarque « genevois » qui défie Poutine". Tribune de Genève (in French). Retrieved 2014-07-08. 
6. ^(Ukrainian)Kolomoiskiy daughter is getting married, Tablo ID (28 June 2014)
7. ^ abIhor Kolomoyskyy, Forbes list of billionaires (March 2012)
8. ^ ab(Russian)Игорь Коломойский
9. ^ abPutin Gets Personal in Ukraine, Bloomberg View (Mar 4, 2014)
10. ^ abcdEight Ukrainians make Forbes magazine's list of world billionaires, Kyiv Post (8 March 2012)
11. ^ abRich Man In A Poor Country, Kyiv Post (17 December 2010)
12. ^ abThree's a crowd for Dynamo and Shakhtar, guardian.co.uk (August 28, 2007)
13. ^ abIhor Kolomoysky, Kyiv Post (June 18, 2008)
14. ^ abMislav Šimatović (September 25, 2007). "100 richest Eastern Europeans". Nacional. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012. 
15. ^(Ukrainian)З життя українських олігархів – вілла Коломойського на Женевському озері, Ukrayinska Pravda (March 10, 2009)
16. ^"Up to 10yrs’ jail for dual citizenship: Ukrainian bill targets tens of thousands," RT (March 03, 2014 12:36). Retrieved March 03, 2014.
17. ^"Ukraine's tycoon and governor Kolomoisky confesses to holding 3 passports" ITAR-TASS (October 3, 2014 20:31). Retrieved October 3, 2014.
18. ^Zaitsev, Tom (2010-02-12). "Three Ukrainian carriers seek tie-up approval". Flightglobal (Reed Elsevier). Retrieved 2011-07-22. 
19. ^Fraende, Metet (2011-07-07). "Cimber Sterling gets 165 mln DKK lifeline". Reuters. Retrieved 2011-07-22. 
20. ^Katie Zezima: "Joe Biden’s son discharged from Navy Reserve after positive cocaine test" (October 17, 2014 20:31). Retrieved October 17, 2014.
21. ^50 richest Ukrainians, ForUm (May 29, 2007)
22. ^ abc#2 Richest: Ihor Kolomoisky, 47, Kyiv Post (December 17, 2010)
23. ^ abc"Rule by oligarchs: Kiev appoints billionaires to govern east,"RT (March 03, 2014). Retrieved (March 03, 2014).
24. ^An Injection Of Rule Of Law For Ukrainian Business? - Forbes, 15 July 2013
25. ^Ukraine’s real problem: crony capitalism - The Hill, 15 Jan 2014
26. ^Raiders from the east: The oligarchs who won their case but took a battering - The Independent, 11 September 2013
27. ^Yanukovych versus Tymoshenko, RIA Novosti (January 20, 2010)
28. ^After the parliamentary elections in Ukraine: a tough victory for the Party of Regions, Centre for Eastern Studies (7 November 2012)
29. ^Klitschko: UDAR's election campaign to cost Hr 90 million, Kyiv Post (15 September 2012)
30. ^Ukraine Turns to Its Oligarchs for Political Help, nytimes.com (2 March 2014)
31. ^ abThe Town Determined to Stop Putin, The Daily Beast (12 June 2014)
32. ^Ukrainian oligarch offers bounty for capture of Russian 'saboteurs' - The Guardian, 18 April 2014
33. ^Ukraine's Secret Weapon: Feisty Oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, The Wall Street Journal (June 27, 2014)
34. ^Ukrainian Nationalist Volunteers Committing 'ISIS-Style' War Crimes
35. ^Ukrainian Nationalist Volunteers Committing 'ISIS-Style' War Crime
36. ^"Russia puts Ukraine's interior minister, Dnepropetrovsk governor on int'l wanted list". Voice of Russia. June 21, 2014.
37. ^http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/moscow-court-sanctions-arrest-of-ukraine-tycoon-governor-kolomoisky/502854.html
38. ^Akhmetov joins Ukraine oligarchs in pledging to protect homeland - Financial Times, 2 March 2014
39. ^ abA necessary putsch? - Jerusalem Post, 29 Oct 2010
40. ^ ab#2 Richest: Ihor Kolomoisky - Kyiv Post, 17 Dec 2010
41. ^ abEuropean Jewish Parliament off to a semi-comedic start - JWeekly, 3 November 2011
42. ^Like NBA’s Nets, European Jewish group gets an oligarch, but some see Soviet-style takeover - JTA, 2 November 2010