Part 2: Stadium explosion and “mafia methods”
Akhmetov’s success story is one of being in the right place at the right time and inheriting another man’s empire.
In October 1995, his “predecessor and close friend” Akhat Bragin (leader of the Donetsk crime group) was blown up at a stadium. Akhmetov, who was riding in a car five seconds behind, miraculously survived. Within moments, he already controlled all of Bragin’s financial and criminal assets.
That was only the beginning. After Bragin’s death, a wave of brazen killings swept through Donbas — all “competitors” were systematically eliminated:
