The richest man in Ukraine is trying to save his fortune

When Swiss prosecutors knocked on the door of DTEK Trading SA's Geneva headquarters in February, they hit the trail of Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine's richest man. Officials were investigating links between DTEK and MAKO Trading SA, a company controlled by Yanukovych's son Alexander, whose assets, like his father and 16 other businessmen, were ordered to freeze. A few weeks later, Dmitry Firtash, another Ukrainian billionaire, was arrested in Vienna on a US warrant.

In this situation, experts say, Akhmetov has reason to worry. Although its industrial fortune has plummeted by almost half to $ 11.9 billion, it remains the largest in the country. Historically tied to Yanukovych, the 47-year-old billionaire has been forced through Ukraine's political eddies in hopes of saving what remains.

After Yanukovych was elected president in 2010, Akhmetov bought two of Ukraine's largest steel mills, boosting his Metinvest's revenues by 52 percent to more than $ 14 billion in 2011. A year later, DTEK was the only bidder in two of five state auctions held during 2011 and 2012, at which Akhmetov bought 70 percent of the country's heating capacity. His net worth jumped $ 3 billion in six months.

Oleksandr Valchishen, chief economist at Kiev Investment Capital of Ukraine, said in a telephone interview: "He got all the cream, while others got what was left at the bottom."

If southeastern Ukraine joins Russia, Akhmetov's assets may also be at risk, says Yuriy Yakimenko, director of political and legal programs at the Razumkov center.

Akhmetov issued a statement on March 2, saying that "the use of force and illegal actions from outside are unacceptable." He spoke to protesters in Donetsk this week and insisted that Ukraine would remain united. He also meets with the country's new political leaders in an effort to prevent bloodshed in Donetsk.