Dmitro (Dmitry) Firtash was arrested in Vienna today on an FBI warrant for organized crime stemming from a 2006 investigation.
Readers of this blog (from five years ago, at least) are well aware of his role in Ukraine’s energy sphere.
He is most well-known perhaps for being the central Ukrainian behind RosUkrEnergo, a gas middleman from back in the day. Before being outed as the Ukrainian businessman behind the venture, he was notoriously camera shy. Since then, he has worked to burnish his image (though the creepy corporate shot above is a bit weird) and expand his Group DF assets.
Some reports link Firtash with infamous gangster Semion Mogilevich, though he has disputed this connection. When Mogilevich was surprisingly arrested in Moscow in 2008, some thought that it might resonate down to Firtash and others. However, Mogilevich was released on bail, despite being listed as one of the FBI’s top 10 most wanted, and Firtash continued to grow his business.
He and Tymoshenko have a long-standing feud. As she emerges more powerful in the latest round of Ukrainian leadership, it could be expected that he may suffer as a result, especially given Ukrainian politicians’ propensity for retribution. His arrest is also being viewed as a means of putting pressure on Russia, sending a message to oligarchs with ties to the country that they could be targeted as part of the Washington’s frustration with Putin’s moves in Crimea.
I haven’t written here in a long time (clearly), but upon seeing the big news, I decided to take a break from finals studying and post something. Maybe I’ll follow up with more later. Follow me on twitter if you want: @hansstege
Kremlin Inc. 