Germany arrests Ukrainian banker

BERLIN – German authorities have announced the arrest of a Ukrainian banker wanted on an international arrest warrant alleging financial crimes in Ukraine. Brandenburg State Prosecutor Juergen Suelldorf, who is handling the extradition request, said on June 17 that Boris Tymonkin was arrested on June 14 at the Schoenefeld airport outside Berlin after arriving on a flight from Istanbul. German police said Ukraine accuses Mr. Tymonkin, 63, of defrauding the state of 281 million euros ($315 million). Police added that he was being sought by Interpol on a Ukrainian warrant. Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry says the warrant was issued last month in relation to his suspected participation in a criminal organization headed by another wanted businessman, Serhiy Kurchenko. Mr. Kurchenko, a major player in Ukraine’s natural-gas industry under ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, fled Ukraine after Yanukovych was ousted. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by the Associated Press)