Kolesnikov confirms he is creating a new Ukrainian political party

Boris Kolesnikov confirmed that he is creating a new
political party in Ukraine. The former Vice Prime Minister and leader of the
Party of Regions and Opposition Bloc political parties spoke with
radiosvoboda.com about the new project. He claimed that no Opposition Bloc
members had joined, but that the party list does include some former Party of
Regions members. The party is to be called “Ukraine is our Home”.

Kolesnikov told Radio Svoboda that the new party was
designed to “gather the best people” in a variety of professional sectors from
across the country, and that it would not be a party from a single region. He
expects the party to be formally revealed in late may or early June.

Recall, the possibility of a new political project led
by Kolesnikov and his business and political partner Rinat Akhmetov was first
broached in late April. However, on May 3, Kolesnikov’s press service issued a
denial. Kolesnikov contacted Radio Svoboda afterward to make the correction to
the denial.

James Hydzik: Kolesnikov’s confirmation regarding the new party signals a major
response to the political reshuffling that the rise of President Zelensky
heralded. The split of the pro-Moscow opposition during the 2019 by-election
showed the need for a change. If the April article about the new party’s
emphasis on being Ukraine-centric and neither pro-western or pro-Russian is
also accurate, which is probable, then the party does stand a chance at
gathering a more nationwide following than the mostly southern and eastern
localization seen previously.