Help rescue animals from the front line — shop our Companion Collection 🐾

Shop Now
News Feed

Media: Belarus gave wanted Ukrainian oligarch diplomatic post to block extradition to US

• 1 min read
Media: Belarus gave wanted Ukrainian oligarch diplomatic post to block extradition to US
Dmytro Firtash poses for a photograph inside the Group DF offices following a Bloomberg Television interview in Vienna, Austria, on Monday, March 14, 2016. (Photo: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Belarus assigned the Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash with a diplomatic post in Vienna to avoid his extradition to the U.S., Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on June 27.

Firtash, formerly a close associate to Ukraine's pro-Russian ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, received a position at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the outlet wrote. UNIDO is a UN body that assists mainly post-colonial countries with industrial and economic development.

U.S. prosecutors charged Firtash with racketeering and bribery in 2014 and he was briefly arrested in Austria before posting bail. The Ukrainian tycoon has so far avoided extradition from Austria's capital, where he resides.

The DW wrote that Belarus gave Firtash the diplomatic position already on June 29, 2021, but Austria's Justice Ministry did not recognize the accreditation, and thus neither Firtash's much-coveted diplomatic immunity.

However, on June 16, Firtash achieved a major victory when an Austrian court supported his appeal to start the 9-year-old case anew due to the businessman's new position with the UNIDO, DW reported.

This suggests that his proceedings can take many more years, again postponing the extradition, the outlet explained.

The Ukrainian businessman holds assets mainly in Ukraine's gas companies. On May 15, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) accused him of embezzling millions of hryvnias worth of state gas.

Firtash accumulated much of his wealth by buying Russian gas and selling it in his home country. He used his funds to back Yanukovych's successful 2010 presidential bid.

Video thumbnail
Avatar
Martin Fornusek

Assistant Editor

Martin Fornusek is an assistant editor at the Kyiv Independent. Until recently, Martin held the role of foreign affairs reporter specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, focusing on developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

Read more
News Feed

The latest announcement comes as Kyiv experienced widespread power outages on Oct. 8 following a Russian attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Over 3 million residents in the capital lost power in what officials described as "an attack on one of the energy facilities important for the city of Kyiv."

The railway operator initially reported that the passenger train's driver suffered a leg injury and four passengers required medical attention. The crew of the electric locomotive was unharmed.

 (Updated:  )

"The government looks forward to the smooth resolution of all pending issues between the two countries and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to this end," the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

Show More