Ukrainian business tycoon Ihor Kolomoiskiy speaks with journalists on the sidelines of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) annual meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine September 13, 2019. (REUTERS File Photo)
Ukrainian security forces have conducted raids at the homes of oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi and former interior minister Arsen Avakov, media reports said on Wednesday.
Kolomoyskyi's case involves "embezzlement of petroleum products" worth the equivalent of €930 million, according to reports.
The probe into Avakov was triggered by the recent crash of a helicopter with his Interior Ministry successor on board, the reports said.
The raids have yet to be confirmed by Kiev authorities.
Kolomoysky has been under investigation since last year. In November, his holdings in oil and gas companies were seized due to the war with Russia.
On Wednesday, photographs in Ukrainian media appeared to show the billionaire in his home next to an official of the SBU Ukrainian intelligence service.
Kolomoyskyi was long considered a supporter of President Volodymyr Zelensky. But the latter has recently distanced himself from the Israeli-Cypriot and reports say he also revoked his Ukrainian citizenship.
The investigation against Avakov appears to revolve around the mid-January helicopter crash that killed Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky.
The helicopter was made by Airbus, with the contracts for the purchase concluded under Avakov, who headed the ministry from 2014 to 2021.
