Ukrainian restaurateur to seek asylum in Croatia

Andriy Zadorozhniy, among Ukraine’s most prominent restaurateurs, has applied for political asylum in Croatia, the Kommersant-Ukrayina newspaper reported on Feb. 27. He alleges pressure from state officials to surrender his chain of restaurants, among Ukraine’s biggest. In late January, he filed an appeal to cancel an extradition order to Ukraine, where authorities have sought to arrest and prosecute him on alleged financial crimes.

Zenon Zawada: Zadorozhniy is merely the latest in a wave of asylum seekers fleeing Ukraine, an exodus that’s become even greater than that of the early 2000s. Regardless of the verity of the criminal allegations, Zadorozhniy’s asylum application has negative implications for the Ukrainian economy, which evidently remains plagued by corruption and adverse investment conditions. The administration of President Viktor Yanukovych’s claims of fighting corruption will gain more legitimacy when the country will stop hemorrhaging businessmen and politicians.