Photo

Dnipropetrovsk preparing for Nov. 15 mayoral run-off

Prev 01 24 Next

DNIPROPETROVSK, Ukraine - The city of Dnipropetrovsk is gearing up for the Nov. 15 mayoral run-off between Borys Filatov, an ally of tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky, and Oleksandr Vilkul, an ex-ally of disgraced former President Viktor Yanukovych.

Vilkul, former governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, caters to voters opposed to the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, which drove Yanukovych from power.

Filatov, formerly a deputy governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and now a Verkhovna Rada member, targets pro-Ukrainian voters, including EuroMaidan supporters.

Analysts say his popularity has been boosted by the Oct. 31 arrest of his ally Gennady Korban on organized crime, kidnapping and embezzlement charges. Supporters of Filatov and Korban decribe the arrest as a political vendetta for their opposition to President Petro Poroshenko.