Ihor Kolomoisky removed from post as governor of Dnipropetrovsk after businessman sends armed guards to the HQ of national oil company

Ukraine’s president has sacked powerful oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky from his post as a regional governor, after an altercation that saw the businessman send armed men to the offices of a state company and launch a barrage of swearwords at a journalist questioning him about his actions.

Petro Poroshenko’s surprise move to remove Kolomoisky late on Tuesday night closes a chapter in the stand-off between the oligarch and the state that many fear could have dangerous repercussions. Successive Ukrainian governments have failed to deal with the influence of the oligarchs, instead merely shuffling them around and changing which individuals gain preferential treatment.

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