Ukrainian businessman Victor Pinchuk views recent negative broadcasts on his father-in-law, second President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, on 1+1 TV Channel controlled by Dnipropetrovsk governor Ihor Kolomoisky as blackmail to make him drop business litigation in London.

"It's absolutely obvious to me that this is the way misters Kolomoisky and Boholiubov [Hennadiy Boholiubov, business partner and advisor to Kolomoisky in relation to Pinchuk's lawsuit in a London court] are trying to pressure me to drop the lawsuits I filed against them in London. Since [I] filed the lawsuits, Kolomoisky and Boholiubov have started threatening me with a campaign against my relatives. Last week the blackmail turned into an open form," reads Pinchuk's statement posted on Tuesday.

He noted that last week 1+1 Channel interrupted its regular schedule with segments stating that Kuchma had given the order to murder journalist Georgy Gongadze.

"I'm honored to be Leonid Danylovych's [Kuchma's] son-in-law and happy to be Olena's, his daughter's husband. At the same time, I'm in a business conflict and a legal proceeding against certain shareholders of 1+1 Channel," Pinchuk explained.

According to the businessman, this is exactly what the fourth President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych did in 2011. "He was taking revenge on Leonid Danylovych [Kuchma] for his refusal to break up Maidan in 2004, and expected me [to provide him with information support on] TV channels. Today, Kolomoisky is using the same Yanukovych's 'instruments' by using Kuzmin [Renat Kuzmin, former Deputy Prosecutor General]" and Melnychenko [Mykola Melnychenko, former employee at the State Security Administration of Ukraine ]."

Pinchuk noted Kolomoisky and Boholiubov's cynicism, in using underhand tactics to resolve the conflict. He added that Kolomoisky had amassed leverage and administrative resources.

"But the blackmail didn't bring results in 2011, and it won't do so today. The lawsuits won't be dropped," the businessman said.

He noted that together with his family he was extremely interested in honest and unbiased investigation into Georgy Gongadze's tragedy, as well as in an open trial of former chief of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry outdoor surveillance operations unit Oleksiy Pukach, as it will clear Kuchma of any suspicion.

"Here's a specific response to the accusation of bribery from the professional forger of political trials, Kuzmin. It's an absolute lie. We didn't pay anything to close Kuchma's case. The case was closed because the accusations were groundless and lacked evidence," Pinchuk said.

As reported, in March 2013, Pinchuk filed claims to British courts on the ownership right to Kryvy Rih Iron Ore Combine.

The Independent newspaper said that Pinchuk claims the mining assets are now worth $2 billion.

Pinchuk has business interests in various sectors, including the pipe and wheel business (Interpipe), and the ferroalloy, oil and gas sectors managed by EastOne Group. He's also involved in the media business (Starlightmedia Group).

Boholiubov and Kolomoisky are long-term partners and cofounders of the Privat Group, which has interests in several sectors and controls the largest bank in Ukraine – PrivatBank.