Zelenskyy urges Austria to extradite fugitive Ukrainian oligarchs

He made the appeal during a joint press conference with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen. 

“We are counting on the support of Austria, its government and public, in this sensitive matter for Ukraine involving former Ukrainian officials and oligarchs who hide from justice and use Europe, including Austria, as a safe haven for their stolen assets,” Zelenskyy said.

He described the issue as “foremost one of justice.”

The Ukrainian president visited Vienna on his way to the G7 summit in Canada.

In December 2024, a Vienna court has once again rejected the extradition of Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash to the United States, where he faces corruption charges related to bribes for titanium mining in India.

Firtash was arrested in Vienna in 2014 but released on a record bail of EUR125 million ($136 million). U.S. authorities accuse him of bribing Indian officials to gain access to ilmenite deposits, a raw material for titanium production.