Accessibility links

Breaking News

Podcast: Can Ukraine's Oligarchs Be Housebroken?


Poroshenko (center) and the oligarchs: Rinat Akhmetiv (top left), Dmytro Firtash (top right), Viktor Pinchuk (bottom left), Ihor Kolomoyskiy (bottom right)
Poroshenko (center) and the oligarchs: Rinat Akhmetiv (top left), Dmytro Firtash (top right), Viktor Pinchuk (bottom left), Ihor Kolomoyskiy (bottom right)

They got obscenely rich in the post-Soviet chaos. They leveraged their political contacts into wealth. And they leveraged their wealth into more political power.

The most powerful among them are Russian-speakers. But when the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted, many sided with Kyiv. And they expected to be rewarded.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's decision this week to sack Ihor Kolomoyskiy as governor of Dnipropetrovsk marks a new chapter in the Ukrainian authorities' relationship with the country's oligarchs.

It also heralds the start of a tricky, dangerous, and perilous stage in Ukraine's post-Euromaidan efforts to build a law-based state.

On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, we look at Ukraine's struggle to rein in its oligarchs against the backdrop of its conflict with Russia.

Joining me are Rostyslav Khotyn of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Taras Kuzio, a senior research associate for the Canadian Institute for Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta.

Enjoy...

Power Vertical Podcast: Can Ukraine's Oligarchs Be Housebroken?
please wait

No media source currently available

0:00 0:55:22 0:00
Direct link

Listen to or download the podcast above or subscribe to "The Power Vertical Podcast" on iTunes.​

About This Blog

The Power Vertical
The Power Vertical

The Power Vertical is a blog written especially for Russia wonks and obsessive Kremlin watchers by Brian Whitmore. It offers Brian's personal take on emerging and developing trends in Russian politics, shining a spotlight on the high-stakes power struggles, machinations, and clashing interests that shape Kremlin policy today. Check out The Power Vertical Facebook page or

Subscribe

Latest Posts

Latest Podcast

XS
SM
MD
LG