Emboldened Zelensky Targets Close Allies in Expanding Corruption Crackdown

Ihor Kolomoisky—one of Ukraine's richest men and a key backer of President Volodymyr Zelensky's political rise—is the latest influential figure to be caught up in Kyiv's expanding anti-corruption campaign.

Kolomoisky has long been one of Ukraine's most influential oligarchs, amassing a fortune from his media and banking empires built up in the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Born in modern-day Ukrainian, the Israeli–Cypriot businessman's patronage was key in facilitating Zelensky's rise from popular comedian to populist president in 2019.

Zelensky is simultaneously enjoying soaring approval figures and struggling to root out deep-seated corruption as Kyiv pursues its goal of European Union and NATO membership. Ukrainian voters see corruption as the second most serious challenge facing the country after Russia's invasion.

Zelensky appeared to refer to the Kolomoisky case shortly after the weekend court ruling. "Without a doubt, there will be no more decades-long 'business as usual' for those who plundered Ukraine and put themselves above the law and any rules," the president said. "The law must work."

Kolomoisky's weekend detention coincided with the resignation—at Zelensky's request—of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, whose position has been unstable for months amid multiple Defense Ministry corruption scandals.

Zelensky has also hit out at "revolting" corruption involving regional military commissars, all of whom were dismissed from their posts last month amid a sprawling probe. Newsweek has contacted the Defense Ministry by email to request comment.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced a case against Kolomoisky on Saturday, shortly after he was detained in Kyiv. Photos and videos showed officers presenting Kolomoisky with documents to be signed.

In a statement, the SBU said it has been "established that during 2013-2020, Ihor Kolomoisky legalized more than half a billion hryvnias [$14 million] by withdrawing them abroad and using the infrastructure of banks under [his] control."

Kolomoisky was pictured in court later on Saturday, where authorities ordered he be held in pre-trial detention for 60 days while investigators probed the fraud charges brought against him. Radio Liberty reported that Kolomoisky intended to appeal against the ruling, but that he would not post bail of some $14 million.

Kolomoisky owned the 1+1 television channel that broadcast Zelensky's hit show Servant of the People, in which the comedian played a teacher catapulted to the presidency by an anti-establishment groundswell.

When Zelensky later launched his campaign for the real-world presidency, he took inspiration from the show in naming his new political party. Servant of the People—known in Ukraine as Sluha Narodu—now holds a majority in the Ukrainian Rada parliament.

During Zelensky's run for the presidency, Reuters noted "worries among some investors and voters, and accusations from his political opponents, that he is in the pocket of Kolomoisky." Then-incumbent President Petro Poroshenko framed Zelensky as an "obedient implementer" of Kolomoisky's will.

Both men repeatedly denied the allegations. "It is impossible to influence me," Zelensky said. "Neither Kolomoisky, nor any other oligarch, no one will influence me."

Still, Zelensky appointed Kolomoisky's lawyer as a campaign adviser and often traveled to Geneva and Tel Aviv to meet with the oligarch. Once president, Zelensky was accused of removing officials considered a threat to Kolomoisky's interests, including Prosecutor General Ruslan Ryaboshapka and his first Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk.

Kolomoisky is thought to have gradually lost influence with Zelensky after he was put under sanctions by the U.S. State Department in 2021. Washington, D.C. accused the oligarch of using his "political influence and power for personal benefit."

The State Department said this involved "corrupt acts that undermined rule of law and the Ukrainian public's faith in their government's democratic institutions and public processes."