Under Pressure, but Undefeated
Ukrainian Oligarchs in Times of War
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Since the mid-1990s, influential big businessmen have been undermining de-mocracy and the rule of law in Ukraine. Even the upheavals of 2004 and 2014 did little to change this. For several years now, however, the so-called oligarchs have been under political and legal pressure. A law on “de-oligarchisation,” passed in 2021, has been suspended, however. The Venice Commission had certified that the law itself posed a threat to democracy and the rule of law. Russia’s large-scale attack on Ukraine has caused the oligarchs to suffer heavy economic losses. However, it is too early to declare an end to the political influence of the oligarchs in Ukraine.
(11-12/2025, pp. 235–245)