Kolomoisky, Portnov, return to Ukraine on eve of Zelenskiy inauguration

Ihor Kolomoisky, among Ukraine’s biggest oligarchs,
returned to Ukraine on May 16 from Israel, ending an absence that began in June
2017. He told reporters that he plans on remaining in Ukraine for the next five
years. He said his decision is motivated by his son’s plans to play
professional basketball in Ukraine and he doesn’t plan “to visit” the
Presidential Administration. Kolomoisky was accompanied by MP Andriy Shypka and
media partner Timur Mindich. On May 12, Gennady Bogolyubov, Kolomoisky’s
billionaire partner in Privat Group, also returned to Ukraine from Israel.

Andriy Portnov, a deputy head of the presidential
administration under Yanukovych, returned to Ukraine on May 19 after a
five-year exile. He was promoted to first deputy administration head in late
January 2014 during the EuroMaidan protest, serving in that post during the
bloodiest week in February before fleeing abroad. Portnov has since been the
target of numerous criminal charges, some of which he has successfully defended
against in court. He was also targeted with EU sanctions, which he also
succeeded in getting dropped.

Zenon Zawada: Kolomoisky
doesn’t have to visit the Presidential Administration if he wants to influence
Zelenskiy. The oligarch’s longtime lawyer, Andriy Bohdan, is certain to be in
Zelenskiy’s closest entourage, perhaps even as Presidential Administration
head. The optimistic scenario is that Kolomoisky and Bohdan will allow the
courts to make independent rulings and treat all subjects equally under the
law. It will be obvious if they begin to interfere in court rulings, which has
the potential to undermine the public’s current high trust in Zelenskiy.

We don’t believe
Portnov’s return is a bad omen, nor a sign that the Yanukovych entourage will
begin pouring back into Ukraine. The public has the expectation that Zelenskiy
will continue to prosecute all the Yanukovych administration officials who
evaded criminal responsibility under the Poroshenko administration, and do so
even more efficiently. Anything less will be a source of wide dissatisfaction
and loss of public trust in Zelenskiy.