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"We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. "Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for."

This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.

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Oligarch Kolomoisky charged with money laundering, fraud

2 min read
Oligarch Kolomoisky charged with money laundering, fraud
Ukraine's Security Service published a photo of the moment when oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky was officially handed criminal charges. (Ukraine's Security Service)

Ihor Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's most flamboyant and infamous oligarchs, was officially handed criminal charges in relation to alleged financial manipulation with his oil and gas holdings.

Soon, Ukraine's Security Service published pictures showing law enforcers confronting Kolomoisky at his home and conducting a search of the premises. Kolomoisky was charged during the search with fraud and money laundering.

The Security Service said in its official statement that Kolomoisky is alleged of laundering over Hr 500 million ($13.5 million) in 2019-2020.

Kolomoisky last visited the National Anti-Corruption Bureau offices in October, after a search at his vacation home at the Bukovel ski resort. His Dnipro home was searched in February.  

The oligarch controlled Ukrtatnafta, Ukraine's largest refining company, until it was seized by the government in November, citing it a critical national resource during martial law.

The company reportedly refused to pay Hr 3.2 billion ($90 million) in taxes last year.    

Kolomoisky also owned over 40% of Ukrnafta, an oil and gas extractor, through multiple smaller companies in his orbit. The Ukrainian state seized this company as well last year.

In 2016, the government also nationalized PrivatBank, the country's largest bank - when Kolomoisky co-owned it, the bank's fraudulent activities left a $5.5 billion hole in its balance sheet.

The combative oligarch's business dealings through these companies careened from scandal to scandal over the previous decade.

Kolomoisky has been sued in U.K., U.S., Israel and Ukraine.

Investigators search Kolomoisky, Avakov, incumbent top officials in unprecedented raid
Law enforcement agencies on Feb. 1 searched the houses of several incumbent and former top officials and an oligarch in what appears to be the largest anti-corruption raid since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Among others, law enforcers raided powerful oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky…
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Igor Kossov

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Igor is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously covered conflict in the Middle East, investigated corruption in Ukraine and man-made environmental damage in Southeast Asia. He has a Master’s in Journalism from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and was published in the Kyiv Post, USA Today, The Atlantic, Daily Beast and Foreign Policy.

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