Ukraine鈥檚 wealthiest man, Rinat Akhmetov, is a native of Donetsk, with a fortune of , mostly from coal, steel, and power holdings. He allegedly flirted with the separatists before throwing his support behind Kiev. After he declared his loyalty, in Donetsk, but he was not there at the time. He owns the successful soccer team Shakhtar Donetsk, which will now .
In May, Akhmetov on the city of Mariupol to tamp down separatism. But when he tried this in Donetsk, it fizzled. With on his payroll in eastern Ukraine, Akhmetov has a vested interest in the region's economic stability.
