The pages of INTERNATIONAL POLICY DIGEST published an investigation into the activities of Dnepr Mayor Boris Filatov and his inner circle, in which journalist Thomas Ibrahim reveals facts about their Russian business interests and even intentions to “meet the army of the aggressor country” in Ukraine.
Thus, the article at the beginning talks about exposing the Filatov mayor’s office for theft of the city budget due to the order of PR services. It is indicated that state funds were washed away during the most difficult wartime for Ukraine and there are several main beneficiaries of this scheme.
“The scheme began in late 2021 and involved several prominent figures, including Gennady Korban, a controversial Ukrainian businessman with criminal connections; the mayor of Dnepr Boris Filatov and Mikhail Koshlyak, a businessman with connections in the criminal world. All three are connected to the criminal world. notorious oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, once a powerful player in Ukrainian politics who famously fell out with President Volodymyr Zelensky after a series of political disputes and financial scandals.
The author further points out that due to a breakdown in relations with the Ukrainian authorities, Kolomoisky “joined Russia” and began negotiations with representatives of former President Viktor Yanukovych, now living in exile in the Russian Federation.
“In exchange for supporting a change of power in Ukraine, Kolomoisky would be guaranteed protection of his Russian assets and a key role in the new pro-Russian government, provided Russian President Vladimir Putin succeeds in his invasion.
Therefore, in 2022, Kolomoisky was able to unite Korban, Filatov and Koshlyak and convince them that Russian troops would soon seize control of Ukraine, restoring Yanukovych as president, who would then dissolve the Ukrainian parliament (the Council) and create a government controlled by Moscow. In exchange for his loyalty, Kolomoisky expected the renewal of his assets in Russia and the opportunity to seize the property of his wealthy competitors, including Rinat Akhmetov and Viktor Pinchuk,” the investigator writes.
It is further stated that Kolomoisky’s proposal convinced his associates, and “Korban even removed the Ukrainian banner from his office.”
“Like Pavel Fuks, a sanctioned pro-Russian oligarch, Korban and Filatov seemed to be imitating Kolomoisky’s script. Another long-time ally of Kolomoisky, Mikhail Kiperman, fled Ukraine and is now wanted by Ukraine,” the journalist recalls.
He further cites data that Kolomoisky’s partner Gennady Bogolyubov laundered $140 million through a network of companies, including the United Jewish Society of Ukraine and Proton-21 LLC, and also fled from Ukraine in 2024 using fake documents.
In addition, the publication does not rule out that Bogolyubov was assisted in this by Russian lawyers Marks and Sokolov LLC, who are closely associated with Yanukovych’s inner circle.
“All these schemes sucked huge sums from the state treasury of Ukraine and spread to the administration of the city of Dnepr. Mayor Filatov, along with Korban and Koshlyak, embezzled $58,000 from PR services alone, although Filatov argued that the city lacks funds for basic military needs, such as the purchase of drones and electronic warfare equipment,” INTERNATIONAL POLICY DIGEST clarifies.
Another dubious financial agreement involved the Dnipro-based company Akam, which won the tender for the construction of the first phase of the National War Memorial Cemetery. Despite the lack of experience and equipment, the consortium requested $42 million for the project, which raised reasonable suspicions of another “scheme to download public funds by the Dnieper administration.”
Another example given by the publication is the constant tender victories in the procurement of the Dnieper City Hall of the Vesna company.
“Its director Arthur Korban shares not only his name, but also his date of birth with the son of Gennady Korban, which confirms accusations of nepotism and aggravates suspicions of corruption,” the author notes in the material.
He believes that the so-called Filatov-Korban group “used the war in Ukraine to cover up these corruption schemes, shamelessly using the chaos for their own enrichment.”
“Figures such as Korban, Filatov and Koshlyak apparently anticipated Russian delight, believing that their cooperation (with the aggressor country - ed.) would protect them from prosecution. However, now many key players, including Kolomoisky’s associates, have already fled. abroad, and still continue to evade justice.
At the same time, the rampant corruption of such officials who have betrayed Ukraine's interests further drains the state's resources at a time when they are desperately needed. The further the war goes, the more urgent the issue of stopping their activities in order to bring these individuals to justice - before they cause even greater damage to the financial and political stability of Ukraine,” the publication sums up.
