The cost of financing the post-war rebuilding of Ukraine, which exceeds $500B, requires the study of numerous financing mechanisms. Additional funds can be provided by the creation of a new type of direct investment fund, which could unlock tens of billions of dollars from Russian oligarchs who would be able to voluntarily invest a significant part of their fortunes in Ukraine’s reconstruction in exchange for sanctions levied against them being lifted, suggests Russian-Ukrainian businessman Ilya Ponomarev.
The fund’s pilot program may initially amount to $20B. The fund may function as a development fund, investing exclusively in Ukraine, particularly in projects to reconstruct residential buildings, the energy network, and other infrastructure. Only after the end of the war and the fund’s liquidation – probably after ten years or more – would the principal deposits and potential profits or losses be distributed, linking the long-term financial interests of investors to Ukraine’s recovery.
However, the oligarchs must agree to their investment being confiscated if any of their activities are deemed to support Putin.