If we pressure our large capital with Ukrainian roots, there is a risk that Russian capital will come instead. And then these forces will lobby us for laws against LGBT people or foreign agents

If we pressure our large capital with Ukrainian roots, there is a risk that Russian capital will come instead. And then these forces will lobby us for laws against LGBT people or foreign agents
Photo: Petro Okhotin / Facebook

Personally, what is happening in Georgia scares me. The country that survived Russia's aggression 16 years ago is falling victim to Muscovites' soft power. I am talking about the laws on "LGBT propaganda" and "foreign agents."

Why did this happen? One of the reasons is that one can get so carried away with the fight against national capital that it is simply replaced by pro-Russian capital.

We hear about raids on businesses all the time. It can be a medium-sized company like KyivGuma or Balistyka. It can be an investor like Mazepa. It can be a big business like Kostiantyn Zhevaho's Ferrexpo. Restricting the liberty of top managers with cosmic amounts of bail looks too much like pressure for mercantile purposes rather than fighting corruption. 

Companies' losses affect the home front and the economy as a whole. Businesses are starting to go into the shadows, saving money to repel attacks. Ferrexpo, which I mentioned, declares losses of $80 million. The reason for this is the provisioning due to court cases. These could have been profits to revitalize the national economy.

You should talk to business. You should give clear rules.

"Power entrepreneurship" should be directed outward, not inward. One should confiscate Russian assets in the West, make sanctions effective, and force international giants to stop operating in Russia. And for business within Ukraine, it is about rules and transparency.

It does not matter whether it is the case of Mazepa, a situation with Kostiantyn Zhevaho's Ferrexpo, KyivGuma or Balistyka.

We should remember that if we pressure our large capital with Ukrainian roots, there is a risk that Russian capital will come instead. It can just be registered in a foreign country. And then these forces will lobby us for laws against LGBT people or foreign agents.

Sourse: Petro Okhotin / Facebook