As the Ukrainian government moves under a pro-Russian president after five years of the pro-Western Orange Revolution, house-cleaning has already started. Oleh Dubyna, head of Ukraine's energy firm Naftogaz since 2007, was dismissed March 3. Dubyna was a close ally of former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko and an occasional ally of former President Viktor Yushchenko. The management of Naftogaz has been a big problem for Moscow, which has been constantly embroiled with the company in ongoing disputes over natural gas. Now that a pro-Russian president has been elected in Ukraine, key people of whom the Kremlin does not approve and who are loyal to the outgoing Orange movement are being removed. At the same time, the Kremlin will want to see loyalists to the pro-Russian cause and to new President Viktor Yanukovich gain key positions in the government or a better foothold in strategic sectors. It is widely known that Yanukovich intends to sack the entire outgoing Cabinet, which is filled with Yushchenko and Timoshenko loyalists. This leaves myriad critical positions open, such as the ministries of foreign affairs, finance and economics as well as the position of prime minister. But there are other strategic positions in the government and in the business sector to keep an eye on. Following, in STRATFOR's view, are the most prominent likely winners and losers in the shakeup, those who will be gaining power in Ukraine and those who will losing it. We've also included a few wildcards who could change the game altogether.

Winners

The Politicians

Viktor Yanukovich The most obvious winner of the presidential election is the new president, Viktor Yanukovich, who has struggled since the Orange Revolution to solidify his pro-Russian Party of Regions in Kiev. Yanukovich has never made a secret of his pro-Russian, anti-Western stance. He has said many times that when he became president he would drop Ukraine's official bid for membership in NATO and the European Union (though he would maintain some connection with the blocs). There are some within his camp who are rumored to be considering a formal political or economic union between Ukraine and Russia. The biggest challenge facing Yanukovich now is forming a coalition within Parliament that doesn't include his former Orange rivals so that he can solidify his power over the whole government. Nikolai Azarov Nikolai Azarov is a prominent economist and scientist who has a long resume of government positions, from vice prime minister to finance minister. He is currently under serious consideration to become the next prime minister and leads the Party of Regions now that Yanukovich has become president (and was required to step down as party leader). Azarov has made no secret of his pro-Russian leanings, going so far as to make most of his speeches in Russian rather than Ukrainian. He is one of the most powerful people in Ukraine's pro-Russian movement and will be one of the more important politicians in the new Yanukovich government. Sergei Tigipko Sergei Tigipko has spent most of his adult life involved in banking and economic matters, heading the National Bank of Ukraine and the Board of PJSC Swedbank. Tigipko came in third in the recent presidential election, with 13 percent of the vote, and is one of the three serious contenders for prime minister or head of one of the economic or financial ministries under the new government. In the past, Tigipko has been loyal to Yanukovich, though he has opted to remain independent in the current circumstances. Tigipko was wooed by all of the big three presidential candidates — Yanukovich, Timoshenko and Yushchenko —going into the elections. He is one of the more knowledgeable people in Ukraine for figuring out how to solve the country's current economic crisis without politicizing the issue. Yanukovich is interested not only in using Tigipko's financial acumen but also in preventing him from allying with any of his opponents, which makes Tigipko a valuable player in the governmental shift. Arsenei Yatsenyuk Rising political star Arsenei Yatsenyuk has been tapped by Yanukovich as a possible candidate for premier, economic minister or finance minister. Yatsenyuk is an economist and lawyer by profession, but he has held many political positions, including economy minister, head of Ukraine's central bank, parliamentary speaker and member of the National Security Council. He placed fourth in the election, with nearly 7 percent of the vote, and received enormous publicity in the process. At first glance, Yatsenyuk appears to be neither pro-Western nor pro-Russian, but STRATFOR sources in Kiev have said he is firmly in Moscow's grasp; his campaign was funded by powerful Kremlin-controlled oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, who also is behind Yanukovich's Party of Regions. Yatsenyuk is a logical and comfortable choice for an important economic or financial position, since he has talked about numerous plans to pull the country out of its current economic crisis that aren't based on party politics.

The Oligarchs

Rinat Akhmetov Rinat Akhmetov is Ukraine's richest man, owning assets in energy, steel, coal, banking, hotels, telecommunications, media and even soccer. Moreover, he is the financial support behind the pro-Russian Party of Regions and is heavily tied to the Kremlin. He is so deeply involved in everything that Yanukovich and the Party of Regions does in Ukraine that many consider him the puppet master of the pro-Russian movement inside the country. Under the previous government, many of Akhmetov's business agendas were blocked by Timoshenko, since the two were bitter enemies. In 2007, Timoshenko herself even alleged that Akhmetov and Yanukovich were involved in drug trafficking. But with his wealth, the fall of Timoshenko and the rise of a president he can personally control, Akhmetov is perhaps the biggest winner in the election, since he can now do pretty much anything he wants. Dmitri Firtash Dmitri Firtash is an interesting example of an oligarch who should have been on the "losers" list, but a falling out with outgoing premier Timoshenko forced him to switch his allegiance to Yanukovich. Firtash has assets in natural gas, electricity trading, chemicals, media and real estate. His most important position has been chief of the Swiss-registered natural gas trading company RosUkrEnergo, which is partially owned by Russia's Gazprom. Firtash benefitted greatly during Yushchenko's presidency, gaining large and lucrative contracts. Firtash was supposed to be the Orange answer to Russian control in the energy trading company, but in 2009 Timoshenko stripped him of his role in RosUkrEnergo. During the election, Firtash switched his loyalties and helped fund Yanukovich, much to his benefit now. It is unclear what the future holds for Firtash, but the billionaire is rumored to be in consideration for a major role in the overhaul of the country's energy companies and contracts. Viktor Pinchuk Another oligarch that will benefit from Yanukovich's victory, and the last on our list of major winners, is Victor Pinchuk, who controls assets in steel-pipe production, railway wheels, media and banking. Pinchuk is the former son-in-law of former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and backed Yanukovich and the Party of Regions' campaigns in 2004 and 2007 as well as the most recent one. A former parliamentarian, he avoids the daily politics in Ukraine but has devoted enough cash and resources to the cause to reap benefits in the future. Pinchuk comes from Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, whence Timoshenko also hails, but Pinchuk suffered greatly under the previous government, with many of his flailing companies being targeted or sold off. Next: The losers.