Identity crisis for the oligarchs

Leonid Kuchma, president of Ukraine, is not allowed to  run for a third term. The oligarchs must decide on a strategy for a post-Kuchma Ukraine after the October elections.

To integrate or not is the question facing Ukraine?s powerful oligarchs in the last months of president Leonid Kuchma?s 10-years in power.

In Ukraine as in Russia, the fall of the Soviet Union led to the rise of a few powerful businessmen who control large parts of the economy. Three of the most powerful are Rinat Akhmetov, who owns metallurgy companies and Shakhtar Donetsk football club; Viktor Pinchuk, Kuchma?s son-in-law, who owns pipe company Interpipe, newspapers and TV channels; and Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the presidential administration and boss of a large business empire that includes football club Dinamo Kiev.