Ukrainian Oligarch Dmytro Firtash Hiding in Vienna Faces Gas Purchase Manipulation Case

PeopleEntrepreneurs ♦ Published: May 15, 2023; 20:01 ♦ (Vindobona)

Dmytro Firtash, an oligarch who has lived in Vienna since 2014 and is linked to a U.S. extradition request, and eight other managers of gas companies in Ukraine controlled by Firtash have now been officially declared defendants in a criminal case.

Investigators and opponents accuse oligarch Dmytro Firtash of economic crimes, corruption and strong ties to the Kremlin and the Russian mafia. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Authorized Ukrainian TV channel «Inter» Youtube stream [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]

According to investigators, they caused more than 18 billion hryvnia (450 million euros) in damage to the Ukrainian state between 2016 and 2022 by manipulating the purchase of gas.

Ukraine's SBU intelligence service explained in a press statement that the scheme involved local gas suppliers controlled by Firtash "buying" gas from companies also controlled by him, but in reality,…