A picket of defrauded depositors of Novinsky Bank took place in Kyiv (PHOTO, VIDEO)
Kyiv, March 21 (Navigator, Volodymyr Raichenko) – Today, depositors of Forum Bank, owned by oligarch Vadim Novinsky, picketed the National Bank of Ukraine, demanding the return of their funds. The protesters also threatened to take more radical action if their demands are not met.
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The reason for the action was the decision of the new leadership of the National Bank to include Forum Bank in the category of insolvent and to introduce a temporary administration into the institution.
“We came to meet with the head of the National Bank Stepan Kubiv (until recently one of the commandants of the Maidan. - Ed.),” Pavel Sidorenko, coordinator of the initiative group of depositors of the Forum bank, told Navigator. – We want to know why one of the largest banks in Ukraine, one of the top five in terms of deposit portfolio for the population, was declared insolvent, despite the fact that the bank was initially promised refinancing. We do not accept promises from the Deposit Guarantee Fund, because we know that today the faces have changed, but the corruption system has remained the same. We came with peaceful demands, but we reserve the right to take adequate actions in the future. If on the Maidan we defended our right to the freedom of our country, here we defend the right to exist for our families.”
During the picket, the name of the bank owner, Vadim Novinsky, was repeatedly mentioned, calling for an answer from him as well. Signatures were also collected for an appeal to Acting President Alexander Turchynov and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk with a request to intervene in the situation.
As a result, the head of the National Bank, Stepan Kubiv, came to the depositors and tried to explain the decision on Forum Bank and outline the prospects for returning their funds to depositors. The conversation turned out to be difficult. “Yes, you are all the same, we know your promises. Don’t feed us breakfast—we have nothing to feed our families today,” some said. Others suggested calming down and trying to work out a common solution.
As a result, Stepan Kubiv suggested that investors create a group of 5-7 people for contacts, which will maintain contacts with the National Bank to develop a solution that suits everyone.
Novinsky Bank's defrauded depositors protest in Kyiv (PHOTOS, VIDEO )