Eight political figures stripped of their citizenship by presidential decree
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Did Volodymyr Zelensky decide to clean the world of the Ukrainian oligarchs and elites? For several days, a presidential decree was circulated, according to which the Ukrainian citizenship of a certain number of political and business personalities was withdrawn.
This week, ex-journalist Serhiy Leshchenko, now an advisor to the president, posted on his Twitter account a curiously unsigned presidential decree, indicating that the Ukrainian citizenship of eight political figures had been withdrawn, according to our correspondent in Kyiv, Stephen Siuhan.
Among these names, one in particular stands out: the oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky. The man, one of the three richest in Ukraine, is the owner of Sulfur 1 + 1, the television special with which Zelensky became a star on the small screen. He supported and financed the race for the presidency of the former comedian.
In the list we also find Vadim Rabinovich, one of the former heads of the pro-Russian party. Or Gennady Kurban, a local chief from the city of Dnipro, long allied with Ihor Kolomoisky. The peculiarity of these men is that almost all of them hold Israeli passports, while dual citizenship is prohibited by Ukrainian law.
No comment from the presidency
At the moment, the Ukrainian presidency refuses to comment, and Ihor Kolomoisky does not respond to the calls of journalists. Only, this Saturday, businessman Gennady Kurban was arrested on the border between Poland and Ukraine, and customs officers did not allow him to enter his country.
In any case, this stripping of citizenship surprised many political observers. ” There is no way, within Ukrainian law, to deprive people of their citizenship. this is not possible , says political scientist Maria Zelkina of the Foundation for Democratic Initiatives’ Ukrainian Research Center. It is against the constitution and against the citizenship law. For now, whatever the media, expert communities and opposition to Zelensky, the public reaction remains extremely negative. But no one actively opposes this political action because everyone is engaged in fighting Russia “.
We do not yet know the reasons that would have prompted Zelensky to withdraw citizenship from these men, but if this is true, then this means that Zelensky decided to free himself from the oligarchy that made him king.
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