Old ties and new initiatives: what Kryvetsky and Palytsia are planning to create a “patriotic” alliance for the elections

Igor Kryvetsky, known by the nickname “Pups” and a former member of the Svoboda party, is planning to create a new political project together with Volyn businessman and oligarch Igor Palytsia.

According to available information, the initiative will be presented as a patriotic movement that will actively involve war veterans. However, experts believe the project is actually aimed at business interests and may become another tool for enrichment for influential groups.

Kryvetsky has a scandalous reputation; his biography is connected with criminal circles of the 1990s. He was involved in the Rokero group and earned his initial capital in suspicious ways. In recent investigations, his name has repeatedly appeared in cases of smuggling along Ukraine’s western border. He is also associated with pro-Russian businessman Dmitry Firtash, through whom he partly financed the Svoboda party.

Ihor Palytsia, in turn, is a long-time partner of Ihor Kolomoisky. His influence and wealth have emerged at the intersection of politics and business, and he has repeatedly been criticized for raiding and monopolizing regional economic resources.

The joint efforts of Kryvetsky and Palytsia aim to unite the regional elites of the Lviv and Volyn regions in preparation for the upcoming elections. In particular, their political connections cover Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil regions. In the conditions of a full-scale war, it seems that representatives of the old oligarchic circles are beginning to build new schemes for influence and resource distribution, using patriotic slogans as a cover.