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Ukrainian billionaires have previously been exposed by the local media out of concerns about the situation in Russia and Ukraine" "collectively run away", 96 of the top 100 rich people in the Forbes Ukraine rich list have fled, the remaining 4 people can not leave the country because of suspected corruption and other crimes, and 37 members of the Ukrainian parliament have also left the country. The incident made Ukrainian President Zelenskiy angrily shout, demanding that these "runaway" politicians and businessmen return to China within 24 hours, otherwise they "will face serious consequences."
After the president shouted, some rich people and parliamentarians denied the relevant reports, claiming that they were just on a business trip and would soon return to China. On the 23rd local time, the secretary of Ukraine's richest man, Linat Akmetov, specially released a photo of Akmetov's return to Kiev on social media, and the richest man also said in an interview that "we love Ukraine and believe that Ukraine and the Ukrainian people will get out of the current predicament."
In the early morning of the 24th local time, Russian President Putin announced a "special military operation" in the Donbass region of Ukraine and called on the Ukrainian army to "lay down its weapons". Comprehensive CNN and other media have just reported that explosions were heard from Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa and other places in Ukraine, and local citizens filmed smoke billowing from facilities in the Kharkiv area, and explosions were also heard from Kiev Airport.
The secretary of Ukraine's richest man, Linat Akmetov, posted photos of Akmetov's return to Kiev on social media
According to Ukrainian media previous reports, in the face of the tense situation in Russia and Ukraine, many Ukrainian billionaires have chosen to flee the country. By the time the flight was suspended on the evening of the 13th, 96 of the top 100 richest people in the Forbes Ukraine Rich List had fled, leaving only 4 people in Ukraine. The reason why these four people stayed in Ukraine was because they were all suspected of corruption and other crimes, and their passports were withheld by the court and could not leave the country. This includes former President Petro Poroshenko, but Ukrainian media say Poroshenko has transferred his family and property abroad, and he has rented several cash trucks to transport cash.
According to the Ukrainian Pravda newspaper, on the 13th, as many as 24 private planes or charter flights carrying oligarchs, rich people and parliamentarians took off from Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and the number of private planes taking off reached the highest in 6 years. The article quoted data from the 24-hour flight radar website as saying that according to the flight route, the planes owned by these billionaires fly in large numbers to Places such as Cyprus, Nice, Vienna, Zurich, London and Munich.
According to reports, a group of close associates who flew away from Kiev that day included Ukraine's richest man, Linat Akmetov, who himself allegedly left Ukraine for Zurich as early as January 30. Ukrainian billionaire and steel magnate Viktor Pinchuk, the second-most populous man on Ukraine's rich list, also left Ukraine at the end of January. As of the 13th, the top three oligarchs in Ukraine's rich list are no longer in Ukraine.
The rich not only run on their own, but also drag their families and mouths, and by the way, bring business partners or party colleagues to "form a group to run away." For example, Igor Abramovich, a pro-Russian lawmaker and billionaire, took some of his business associates and party colleagues from Kiev to Vienna by private jet.
After the rich who held a lot of wealth fled abroad, foreign investment also fled, and the Ukrainian economy was hit hard, and more than $12.5 billion of foreign investment alone withdrew from Ukraine.
In addition to the oligarchs, some Ukrainian parliamentarians are also hurrying to "flee". As of the 13th, a total of 37 parliamentarians had left the country, including a number of Zelenskiy's "allies" and the People's Servant Party mps, resulting in the closed-door meeting scheduled to hear the assessment report on the internal and external security situation in Uzbekistan on the 13th and being postponed due to the large number of absentees.
At a time of national crisis, the mass exodus of rich people and parliamentarians greatly annoyed Ukrainian President Zelenskiy. On February 14, he publicly shouted at a press conference with German Chancellor Schoelz that the fleeing Ukrainian politicians and businessmen return home within 24 hours or "face serious consequences." The Ukrainian presidential office also called on PÄP lawmakers abroad to return to Ukraine by the early hours of February 15.
Zelenskiy said it was an important time to show national unity, and that it was dishonest for some to claim to be patriots while moving their offices to other countries, stressing that the government would not affect business decisions, calling on businessmen to return home and for officials to fulfill the people's mandate and work with the people to deal with the crisis.
Relevant political analysts believe that if these fleeing rich oligarchs change their minds and prepare to return to China, the main reason is that they are worried that the government will impose sanctions on them, because these oligarchs may be charged with treason and have their property confiscated.
According to the Russian "Izvesta" report, David Arahamiya, chairman of the parliamentary group of the Ukrainian People's Public Servants Party, announced on the 14th that he plans to submit a bill to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) prohibiting officials and parliamentarians from going abroad while practicing a military state at home. He added that, in view of the current situation in which parliamentarians were leaving their country out of fear, provisions on disqualification of their deputies needed to be added to the bill.
Under the government's intimidation, a succession of rich people and parliamentarians have returned to China and used various reasons to justify their departure, denying the "fleeing" allegations in the media reports.
Andrei Stavnitser, who ranks 49th on Ukraine's rich list, admitted that he did leave Ukraine on the 13th, but he was on a business trip to Dubai and will return to his country in the near future. Boris Kolesnikov, for his part, said he had been at home and that the reports were "fake news."
In addition, former Congressman Boris Kolesnikov was also pointed out to be a private plane under his name in the flight list that departed on the 13th. But he then claimed that he had been in Kiev that day, that the plane had only been sent to Prague for maintenance, and that he would not leave the country for work until the 1st of next month.
The most interesting of these is, of course, the traces of Ukraine's richest man, Linat Akmetov. In the face of doubts, on the 16th, his secretary posted on social media, publishing photos of Akmetov's inspection of the port city of Mariupol adjacent to the Donbass region of Ukraine on the same day to break the report that he "fled".
The secretary publishes photographs of Akmetov's visits to Ukraine
On the 23rd, Akmetov returned to Kiev, and his secretary released an excerpt of an interview in which he covered his chest and said: "We love Ukraine, we believe in Ukraine." I believe that Ukraine and Ukrainians will come out of this predicament. ”
Just a dozen hours after his return to China, in the early morning of local time on the 24th, Russian President Putin announced that he would take "special military action" in the Donbass region of Ukraine and called on the Ukrainian army to "lay down its weapons". Comprehensive foreign media reports, Ukraine Kiev, Kharkiv, Odessa and other places heard explosions, some local citizens filmed the Kharkiv area facilities smoke billowing, Kiev airport also heard explosions.
According to local media reports, 19 people have returned to China after Zelenskiy issued an "ultimatum", but 18 of the 37 departing parliamentarians are still in a state of "missing contact".
Ilya Kiva, a member of the opposition "Opposition Platform - For Life" party, told Zelenskiy in a video that he would never return to Ukraine from Spain, "This is not my war ... I will not defend you, Zelensky, and I will not sacrifice my life for you. ”
Source | Observer Network