Ex-governor Kolomoisky: I will not allow anybody to split united Ukraine

On Thursday, former governor of Dnipropetrovsk region Igor Kolomoisky answered questions of 1+1 TV about his resignation.

The oligarch swore allegiance to united Ukraine and said that he would not allow anybody to split it.

“No single enemy inside or outside the country will be able to split us by allegations that my resignation will cause instability. There is no separatism in Dnipropetrovsk and will not be,” Kolomoisky said.

“Ukraine is united. Nobody is going to split or to rebel. This is inadmissible. For a whole year running, we have tried to get rid of separatism. We are moving in the same direction with the President and the whole country,” Kolomoisky said.

According to the oligarch, his resignation does not mean a campaign against oligarchs. “I don’t think that this is Poroshenko’s fight against oligarchs – for there was no conflict between Poroshenko and Kolomoisky but just a conflict inside Kolomoisky. We must review our laws and see where there were errors and where there were crimes. Only then will we be able to find the right way. Once we set fair rules and remove natural monopolies, there will be no more oligarchs,” Kolomoisky said.

Concerning the conflict over Ukrnafta, Kolomoisky said that it was a PR campaign meant to improve the ratings of small coalition factions to spoil the ratings of big factions. “That attack was aimed not against Kolomoisky but against the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko, People’s Front, the Prime Minister and the President. So, I think it was wise of me to resign and to prevent any further conflict,” Kolomoisky said.

“Now we will discuss our relations only legally. I hope that legally we will settle this problem more quickly than politically,” the oligarch said.

Kolomoisky’s joint press-conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was preceded by Kolomoisky’s “address to the people of Ukraine.” In his address, Kolomoisky accused Poroshenko of broken promises, criminal frame-ups, raids and repressions and urged people to go into streets on Mar 28.