Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

The article was published in “Correspondent” №25 (214), July 1, 2006.

(Igor Kolomoiskii isthe member of the supervisory board and join-owner of “Private” group on the moment of publication).

42-year-old, married, 2 children.

Fortune: $2,8 billion.

Activity sphere: finances, oil, gas, ferroalloys.

Political scientist Dmitrii Vydrin was surprised twice by Ukrainian businessman Igor Kolomoiskii. At first it happened when Vydrin visited the office of the multibillionaire in Dnepropetrovsk .

Huge aquarium with exotic water-fowl occupied one wall of the cabinet. Console with buttons was situated on the coffee table, 1 – spiny lobster pieces, 2 – tiger shrimps and so on. When Vydrin pushed one of them he persuaded himself that big shrimps were really falling to the aquarium.

Kolomoiskii surprised the political scientist from the capital for the second time quite recently. Close friend of Vydrin borrowed money for buying a flat. Instead of reimbursing the moneyhis friend re-registered the debt on him. And now the debtmust be paid by one of the “Private” structures. “I know Igor Valerievich, we have common friend, I gave debt documents by him and friendly asked to return money”.

The answer of Kolomoiskii made him shuddered: “With all my esteem and sympathy to you I can’t pay the debt because my principle is not to pay taxes and debts”, - Vydrin quotes Kolomoiskii speech to “Correspondent”.

It's not the fact that these words are serious. Political scientist Kost Bondarenko says that Kolomoiskii is a big wag with Jewish sense of humor. But Vydrin still doesn’t laugh. During 2 months he is trying to connect with his rich debtor.

Billionaire with 3rd position hassome morenotable oddities beside these doubtful principles. At first Kolomoiskii knew how to avoid from all voluntary-forced patron schemes of the President of Ukraine.

Secondly the informal leader of “Private” is not present in every year richest people of the planet rate of the of American journal “Forbes”. It's very unfair to Kolomoiskii.

Duringthe independence years Dnepropetrovsk businessman founded one of the biggest business-empires of the country. He controls metallurgical and ferroalloys plants, owns monopolistic positions on the Ukrainian market of the manganese ore. Assets include paper-bags of 5 mining concentrating centers and one of the biggest Ukrainian banks. He owns metallurgical ferroalloys production in Russia and Rumania. Owner of the Dnepropetrovsk football club “Dnepr”. And hestill is fighting for new big pieces of national economics.

Bondarenko is delighted with Kolomoiskii fearlessness which is not afraid to fight with more strong competitors. As the example he shows confrontation among “Privat” group and “Donetsk” when they had power.

Main point of the “Private” aggressive behavior on the internal and external market can be illustrated with the anecdote about Wolf and Red Hood where wolf is Kolomoiskii and defenseless girl is business partner:

“Wolf has caught Red Hood and says: you have 2 ways – junction or absorption”.