Ihor Kolomoyskyi

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This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Valeriyovych and the family name is Kolomoyskyi.
Ihor Kolomoyskyi
Ihor Kolomoyskyi2.jpg
Native name
  • Ukrainian: Ігор Валерійович Коломойський
  • Russian: Игорь Валерьевич Коломойский
Born Ihor Valeriyovych Kolomoyskyi
(1963-02-13) February 13, 1963 (age 51)
Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR[1]
Other names Igor Kolomoisky
Citizenship Ukraine
Israel
Occupation Co-founder of PrivatBank
Known for Second/third richest person in Ukraine
Net worth

Ihor Valeriyovych Kolomoyskyi (Ukrainian: Ігор Валерійович Коломойський; Russian: Игорь Валерьевич Коломойский, Igor Kolomoisky; born February 13, 1963) is an Ukrainian-Israeli business oligarch of Jewish descent and the current Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.[4]

A multibillionaire, Kolomoyskyi is rated as the second or third richest person in Ukraine (after Rinat Akhmetov and/or Viktor Pinchuk) since 2006[5][6] and 377th richest person in the world by the Forbes (as of 2011.)[2] According to the Forbes, his net worth is USD 3b, while the Korrespondent considers it to be USD 6.5b.[3] Kolomoyskyi is the leading partner of the Privat Group and a de facto chairman of the FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.[7]

Name[edit]

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

Biography[edit]

Kolomoyskyi was born in a jewish family of engineers. Kolomoyskyi graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute in 1985.[1] He is married with two children.[8]

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.[1][7] Other fields of activity include: ferroalloys, finance, oil products, mass media,[8] metal and petroleum industries (also in Russia and Romania).[9]

Kolomoysky has a dual Ukrainian-Israeli citizenship although dual citizenship is not recognized by Ukraine[10][11]

Assets[edit]

Through PrivatBank he controls Aerosvit Airlines, Dniproavia and Donbassaero.[12] Through the asset management company Mansvell Enterprises Limited, he controls Skyways Express, City Airline, and Cimber Sterling aviation companies.[13]

Kolomoyskyi is a billionaire listed in 2007 by Forbes as the 799th-richest man in the world (with 3.8 billion dollars,[14] in 2010 Kyiv Post estimated his wealth at $6.243 billion.[15]) In March 2012 Forbes placed him 377th with $3 billion.[5] In 2010 Kyiv Post listed Kolomoyskyi as the second richest person in Ukraine;[15] in 2012 Forbes rated him the third richest person in Ukraine.[5] In these lists Kolomoyskyi has only been surpassed in wealth by Rinat Akhmetov or/and Viktor Pinchuk.[5][6]

Since 2010 rumors were circulating that Kolomoiskyi's assets were coming under pressure from the authorities.[15] Kolomoiskyi controls his business empire from Switzerland.[16]

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,[17] 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.[18] 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".[19]

Kolomoyskyi and Ukrainian politics[edit]

Analyst have listed Kolomoyskyi as an ally of Ukrainian politician Yulia Tymoshenko and her Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko.[1] 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.[16][20] Croatian newspaper Nacional claimed in September 2007 that Kolomoyskyi had become an ally of (then) Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko and had financed Yushchenko's Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc.[9]

In the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election Kolomoyskyi was perceived as being one of UDAR’s main sponsors.[16][21] This has been denied by UDAR.[22]

On 2 March 2014, amidst the 2014 pro-Russian protests in Ukraine, acting President Oleksandr Turchynov appointed Kolomoyskyi governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.,[23] as well as appointing fellow oligarch Serhiy Taruta governer of Donetsk Oblast. A day later Kolomyski referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "schizophrenic shorty" who was "totally out of touch, completely crazy".[4] During a news conference the next day, Putin claimed that Kolomoyskyi had reneged on a contract with Roman Abramovich, saying “I myself asked Abramovich why he did it later, and he told me he did not think it possible that someone would play him like that.” Putin said of Kolomoyskyi, "This is just a unique crook"[nb 1] and claimed that "people are not happy" with his appointment as Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.[4]

During the crisis in eastern Ukraine, Kolomoyskyi offered a bounty for the capture of Russian-backed militants and incentives for the turning in of weapons.[24]

Kolomyski and Jewish politics[edit]

Kolomoyski is a prominent supporter of Ukraine's Jewish community[25] and the president of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine.[26] In 2010 he was appointed as the president of the European Council of Jewish Communities[27] after promising the outgoing president he would donate $14 million,[28] with his appointment being described as a "putsch"[26][27] and a "Soviet-style takeover"[29] by other EJCJ board members. After several EJCJ board members resigned in protest, Kolomyski quit the EJCJ and, together with fellow Ukrainian oligarch Vadim Rabinovich, founded the European Jewish Union.[28]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ According to Putin Kolomoyskyi had reneged on a contract with Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich after receiving several billion dollars in payment.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Igor Kolomoysky Renaissance Capital
  2. ^ a b Ihor Kolomoyskyy, Forbes list of billionaires (March 2012)
  3. ^ a b (Russian) Игорь Коломойский
  4. ^ a b c d Putin Gets Personal in Ukraine, Bloomberg View (Mar 4, 2014)
  5. ^ a b c d Eight Ukrainians make Forbes magazine's list of world billionaires, Kyiv Post (8 March 2012)
  6. ^ a b Rich Man In A Poor Country, Kyiv Post (17 December 2010)
  7. ^ a b Three's a crowd for Dynamo and Shakhtar, guardian.co.uk (August 28, 2007)
  8. ^ a b Ihor Kolomoysky, Kyiv Post (June 18, 2008)
  9. ^ a b Mislav Šimatović (September 25, 2007). "100 richest Eastern Europeans". Nacional. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012. 
  10. ^ (Ukrainian) З життя українських олігархів – вілла Коломойського на Женевському озері, Ukrayinska Pravda (March 10, 2009)
  11. ^ "Up to 10yrs’ jail for dual citizenship: Ukrainian bill targets tens of thousands," RT (March 03, 2014 12:36). Retrieved March 03, 2014.
  12. ^ Zaitsev, Tom (2010-02-12). "Three Ukrainian carriers seek tie-up approval". Flightglobal (Reed Elsevier). Retrieved 2011-07-22. 
  13. ^ Fraende, Metet (2011-07-07). "Cimber Sterling gets 165 mln DKK lifeline". Reuters. Retrieved 2011-07-22. 
  14. ^ 50 richest Ukrainians, ForUm (May 29, 2007)
  15. ^ a b c #2 Richest: Ihor Kolomoisky, 47, Kyiv Post (December 17, 2010)
  16. ^ a b c "Rule by oligarchs: Kiev appoints billionaires to govern east," RT (March 03, 2014). Retrieved (March 03, 2014).
  17. ^ An Injection Of Rule Of Law For Ukrainian Business? - Forbes, 15 July 2013
  18. ^ Ukraine’s real problem: crony capitalism - The Hill, 15 Jan 2014
  19. ^ Raiders from the east: The oligarchs who won their case but took a battering - The Independent, 11 September 2013
  20. ^ Yanukovych versus Tymoshenko, RIA Novosti (January 20, 2010)
  21. ^ After the parliamentary elections in Ukraine: a tough victory for the Party of Regions, Centre for Eastern Studies (7 November 2012)
  22. ^ Klitschko: UDAR's election campaign to cost Hr 90 million, Kyiv Post (15 September 2012)
  23. ^ Ukraine Turns to Its Oligarchs for Political Help, nytimes.com (2 March 2014)
  24. ^ Ukrainian oligarch offers bounty for capture of Russian 'saboteurs' - The Guardian, 18 April 2014
  25. ^ Akhmetov joins Ukraine oligarchs in pledging to protect homeland - Financial Times, 2 March 2014
  26. ^ a b A necessary putsch? - Jerusalem Post, 29 Oct 2010
  27. ^ a b #2 Richest: Ihor Kolomoisky - Kyiv Post, 17 Dec 2010
  28. ^ a b European Jewish Parliament off to a semi-comedic start - JWeekly, 3 November 2011
  29. ^ Like NBA’s Nets, European Jewish group gets an oligarch, but some see Soviet-style takeover - JTA, 2 November 2010