details regarding akhmetov's past, how he obtained his wealth after the fall of communism in ukraine, and the decade between 1985 and 1995 remain controversial. akhmetov has stated in interviews that he obtained his wealth by making risky business investments in the first years after the collapse of the soviet union, and responded to allegations in 2010, denying he has ever inherited any money from akhat bragin or anyone else: "i have earned my first million by trading coal and coke, and spent the money on assets that no one wanted to buy. it was a risk but it was worth it". many publications in ukraine and other european countries have made claims about akhmetov's alleged "criminal past", some of which later retracted their statements.