The Washington PostThe Washington Post

With Russian troops massing on the border, Ukraine’s Zelensky focuses instead on internal foes

By David L. Stern and Isabelle Khurshudyan

22 Dec 2021 · 5 min read

With an estimated 100,000 Russian troops massing on Ukraine's eastern border, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has chosen this moment to pick internal battles - an approach that risks dividing the country amid what Western officials warn could be a full-scale military attack by Moscow.

Zelensky is focusing on two of Ukraine's most powerful men: Rinat Akhmetov, a metals and media mogul whose total wealth Forbes Magazine estimates to be around $7 billion, and Petro Poroshenko, the billionaire former president whom Zelensky defeated in 2019.

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