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Ukrainian tycoon’s property in Crimea to be up for sale in six months

The decision to nationalize the property of Dnipropetrovsk Governor Ihor Kolomoyskyi was approved by the State Council of Crimea in early September

SIMFEROPOL, September 25. /ITAR-TASS/. The nationalized property of Ukrainian billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskyi in Crimea is due to be sold at open tenders in around six months, Crimea’s acting head Sergey Aksyonov said on Thursday.

Last week, Crimean government officials backed by police and self-defense forces started taking inventory of property and seizing documents for the Foros recreation center, in the Yalta resort city, owned by entities affiliated with Kolomoyskyi.

The decision to nationalize the property of Dnipropetrovsk Governor Kolomoyskyi, one of Ukraine’s richest men, with a fortune of $2.1 billion, according to Forbes magazine, was approved by the State Council of Crimea in early September.

Crimean lawmakers suspect that Kolomoisky had initiated and financed military operations in south-eastern Ukraine, where over 3,000 people have been killed since April, according to the UN human rights office.

The property of Kolomoyskyi in coastal areas in Crimea includes 111 items, with several recreation centers, over 20 fueling stations, dozens of markets and non-residential buildings.

Crimean authorities earlier said the proceeds from the asset sale will be used to help the clients of Kolomoyskyi's Privatbank, which made a rushed exit in March, after Crimea rejoined Russia.

In early September, Russian investigators seized the office building in Moscow owned by a company co-founded by Kolomoyskyi. Moscow said the revenues from leasing this property could have been used to finance criminal activities in south-eastern Ukraine.

In early July, a Russian District Court ruled to arrest Kolomoyskyi in absentia on charges of organizing the killings of civilians. Russia has asked for Kolomoyskyi to be put on the international wanted list.