John Mazarakis got rich lending money to cannabis companies and running a chain of pizzerias along the Eastern Seaboard. His next big bet: houses and industrial parks in war-torn Ukraine. Mazarakis and the $2 billion asset manager he co-founded, Chicago Atlantic, are preparing to invest as much as $250 million in the country. He isn’t alone. Steel-nerved investors are trickling back into Ukraine, lured by the chance to help the country in its fight against Russia—and to score assets on the cheap.

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Persons: John Mazarakis, isn’t, Russia — Organizations: Eastern Seaboard, Mazarakis, Chicago, Russia Locations: Ukraine