Blogger Dmitro Chekalkin made this remark during an Oct. 4 appearance on the "Conversations That Matter" podcast, which is hosted by Alex Newman. The blogger had been included in a list of personalities whose Facebook and Instagram pages were blocked after the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reached out to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Chekalkin was reportedly included due to his harsh criticism of Zelensky and his backer, media tycoon Igor Kolomoysky.
According to the former military interpreter and diplomat, Kolomoysky has now been brought to justice for his economic crimes. But he added that the oligarch must also be charged for undermining Ukrainian security and engaging in anti-government activities. Chekalkin also accused Kolomoysky of cooperating with Russian President Vladimir Putin to brainwash the Ukrainian people and make them think that a peace agreement is possible.
"Zelensky will go fishing with [Putin], we'll just drink a bottle of vodka at the bank of the river and we will settle all our differences, all our issues," the blogger told Newman. "But it was absolutely far from reality, and Kolomoysky was using his media empire to promote this false scenario."
Chekalkin also quoted a journalist under the Kolomoysky media empire, who broadcast an interview with Zelensky promoting the idea that it was easy to make Putin a friend of Kyiv. This brainwashing mechanism had convinced a majority of Ukrainians to vote for the current president.
Brainwashing mainly done through "Servant of the People" TV series
Newman's guest said that even though the SBU had already prosecuted Kolomoysky for fraud and money laundering, the oligarch's main crime was brainwashing Ukrainians with Zelensky's TV series aired on a channel he owns. (Related: Zelensky’s billionaire backer jailed, now facing $13.5 million in fraud and money laundering charges.)
"Servant of the People," which aired on Kolomoysky's 1+1 channel, starred Zelensky as a high school teacher who becomes the chief executive of Ukraine. Chekalkin pointed out that the first three seasons of the show were aired in preparation for the main star's future presidential campaign.
On a personal level, Chekalkin also shared that Kolomoysky himself reached out to him as a potential candidate for the series. While he has worn many hats, he did not want to be promoted as a future Ukrainian president. Chekalkin repeatedly turned down offers by the Kolomoysky empire until it convinced Zelensky – then a comedian with his Kvartal 95 collective – to jump on the project.
Meanwhile, Newman said most Americans were unfamiliar with Kolomoysky until the American media discussed his links with the Burisma gas company. The oligarch also had a controlling interest in the Ukrainian energy firm, which also saw presidential son Hunter Biden on its board collecting money. He ultimately pointed out that Kolomoysky is the one who really created Zelensky with his propaganda media empire.
Chekalkin, who served as the first Ukrainian diplomat to Israel, also contributed some information regarding Kolomoysky's businesses in America. He recounted investigators from risk advisory firm Kroll discovering the oligarch's dirty transactions amounting to $470 billion. Aside from these, Kolomoysky had also made huge investments abroad – including blocks of property in American cities.
The $470 billion went through numerous transactions that obscured the trails of the original source of the cash. Chekalkin told Newman that this money was taken from PrivatBank – which Kolomoysky formerly owned before its 2016 nationalization – and used to finance the oligarch's media empire.
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Watch the full conversation between Dmitro Chekalkin and Alex Newman on the "Conversations That Matter" podcast below.
This video is from The New American channel on Brighteon.com.
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