Ukraine Pres Poroshenko pays high personal price for his nation's freedom and democracy

Petro Poroshenko used to be one of the top oligarchs in Ukraine; those few dozens of visionaries who, due to their integrity, intelligence, and hard work managed to divide up the nation’s wealth amongst themselves in the glorious (for them) window of opportunity that opened up just as the sun was setting on the Soviet empire.

While the fortunes of the vast majority of Ukrainians were going down the toilet, Poroshenko and his fellow oligarchs were shamelessly enriching themselves. In 2012 he joined the ranks of the billionaires, according to Forbes magazine. A year later he stood at a net worth of 1.6 billion US!

Alas, there then blew in the “Nuland-Pyatt Spring,” the gentle breezes of which wafted through the Maidan in early 2014, grew and grew and grew in intensity until it was a virtual hurricane of freedom and human rights, its virtuous force 5 winds blowing an elected government clear out of the country!

Under a recent law, Ukraine’s parliamentarians are now required to self-disclose their net worth. All to do with the never-ending war on corruption, don’t you know, and according this story at Deutsche Welle,  Poroshenko has declared a meagre 26 millions!

Wow! from 1,600 millions to 26 millions in a mere two years? That loss is almost Trumpian in scale!

Now perhaps we should not feel pity for the man prematurely. Didn’t his name come up in those Panama Papers revelations? You don’t suppose those shell companies were part of a plan to disappear his assets, do you?

Hmm…