In 2003, lawyer Sergiy Karpenko received three stab wounds in Feodosia and survived. Four perpetrators were sentenced. The organizer was not. Now, 22 years later, Karpenko filed a civil lawsuit in the Shevchenko District Court of Kyiv seeking compensation for moral damages of 4.4 billion hryvnias (approximately $100 million) against Igor Kolomoisky.

Why now

The case had not progressed for decades. The situation changed in September 2023: Kolomoisky was first arrested for fraud involving PrivatBank and money laundering, and in May 2024, the Office of the Prosecutor General announced a suspicion against him in organizing the contract killing of Karpenko. According to Espreso, the investigation claims the motive was personal revenge: the lawyer refused to allow Kolomoisky to annul a decision of the shareholders' meeting of the Dniprospetsteel plant.

"This is definitely not a spontaneous decision. Not a one-off action"

— Sergiy Karpenko, victim of the attack, interview with ZN.UA after the suspicion was announced

After the suspicion was announced, the Pechersk Court continued to keep Kolomoisky in custody — most recently until July 4, 2025, specifically in the Karpenko case: it proved stronger for detention than economic cases, where the defense systematically tries to reduce bail or appeal the arrest.

$100 million against the backdrop of $3 billion

Karpenko's civil lawsuit is not the biggest financial threat to Kolomoisky. In November 2025, the High Court of England ordered him and Hennadiy Bogolyubov to pay PrivatBank over $3 billion — $1.76 billion in principal debt plus interest and court costs. The voluntary payment deadline expired on November 24; no payments were received. According to NV, the bank has moved to enforce the judgment in jurisdictions where the former owners' assets have been identified. According to Mind.ua's assessment, this process could take years.

Against this backdrop, Karpenko's $100 million appears symbolic — but legally, it is directly tied to the criminal proceedings on the attempted murder: the lawsuit was filed in the same court that is hearing the criminal case. If the verdict is guilty, the civil claim becomes automatic enforcement.

Case mechanics

• 2003 — attack in Feodosia, four perpetrators sentenced to 6–12 years.
• September 2023 — Kolomoisky in custody over PrivatBank.
• May 2024 — suspicion announced for organizing the contract killing of Karpenko.
• 2025 — civil lawsuit for $100 million filed in Shevchenko District Court of Kyiv.

If the Shevchenko Court renders a guilty verdict in the criminal part, the $100 million civil claim becomes a matter of enforcement proceedings — not proving guilt. The question is different: does Kolomoisky have assets in Ukrainian jurisdiction that can be seized while PrivatBank is already searching for his property in other countries?