Ukraine’s wealthiest man, Rinat Akhmetov, is a native of Donetsk, with a fortune of more than $12 billion, mostly from coal, steel, and power holdings. He allegedly flirted with the separatists before throwing his support behind Kiev. After he declared his loyalty, rebels surrounded Akhmetov’s home in Donetsk, but he was not there at the time. He owns the successful soccer team Shakhtar Donetsk, which will now play its games in western Ukraine.
In May, Akhmetov unleashed his steelworkers on the city of Mariupol to tamp down separatism. But when he tried this in Donetsk, it fizzled. With approximately 300,000 employees on his payroll in eastern Ukraine, Akhmetov has a vested interest in the region's economic stability.
