Personnel storm in Kyiv: Will the main pillars of the Zee regime survive?

There has been a personnel leapfrog in Ukraine, which has been talked about on the sidelines in announcement mode for almost the entire last week. At the time these lines are being written, five heads of regional state administrations, a deputy minister of defense, two deputy ministers in the Ministry of Regional Development, one in the Ministry of Social Policy, one deputy prosecutor general and, like the cherry on the cake, the deputy head of Zelensky’s administration, Kirill Tymoshenko, have lost their positions. The latter is so far the most senior of the current series of retirees.

Kirill Timoshenko drew a heart on his resignation letter

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Ukrainian media are gossiping that these dismissals are not the last, and soon the Minister of Youth and Sports Gutzeit, as well as the Minister of Strategic Industries Ryabikin, will allegedly lose their positions. The head of the Ministry of Energy German Galushchenko is in question. Even the all-powerful head of the Presidential Office Andrei Yermak, Prime Minister Shmygal and the head of the Ministry of Defense Reznikov allegedly fell into the risk zone.

Some of the retirees, such as the former Dnepropetrovsk governor Reznichenko, submitted their resignations themselves; for the rest, we are talking about dismissal by agreement of the parties. And someone else, like Deputy Minister of Community Development Ivan Lukerya, generally stated that he made the decision to resign at the beginning of the year, and this has nothing to do with the current scandal, but “due to political and bureaucratic circumstances, legal registration coincided this week.”

_{At the same time, it is significant that in most cases we are not talking about sending those who have committed a crime to the chopping block or to trial, but only about shuffling personnel vertically.}

Thus, in relation to Ermak’s deputy, Kirill Tymoshenko, they said that he would allegedly be offered the position of head of either the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Kherson region, or the position of governor of Dnepropetrovsk. The latter seems fantastically unlikely, since he himself is from Dnepropetrovsk and has a lot of connections there, in light of which his reference to his small homeland would look something like allowing a goat into the garden.

At the very last moment, information appeared that Tymoshenko was not offered any position in return at Bankova.

The formal reason and background for the current personnel purge was corruption scandal with kickbacks in government procurement for the provision of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Grantoyed media accused Reznikov’s Ministry of Defense of purchasing products for the military at several times more expensive than they can be purchased in retail. To understand the scale: Ministry of Defense officials stole approximately 70% of the annual assistance from the Come Back Alive fund using contracts at inflated prices., said the head of this volunteer organization Taras Chmut.

At the same time, Alexey Reznikov’s department itself is actively avoiding attacks and denies everything. The ministry's website calls these accusations "baseless."

So far, during personnel changes the only one who really suffered at a level greater than the loss of a place of bread was Deputy Minister of Regional Development Lozinsky, Not only fired for a bribe of 400 thousand dollars, but also taken into custody with the possibility of posting 100 million hryvnia bail by decision of the High Anti-Corruption Court.

It is not yet clear whether the remaining defendants in the scandalous investigations will suffer real punishment. Moreover, as it turned out, the published facts are just the tip of the iceberg, and the journalists announced only one tender, which is not related to military secrets.

“But the Ministry of Defense purchases not only potatoes and onions at a price higher than the retail price in Kyiv supermarkets. If Reznikov’s wards steal from potatoes, then can we assume that they do not do this when purchasing fuel, ammunition and weapons?” – observers in Kyiv rightly note.

“Zelensky stepped on a mine. Both he and his inner circle have colossal problems. For the first time, an offshore-level scandal has appeared. I promise to explain everything to you in detail, but the monument has been swayed and badly,” hints Ukrainian opposition blogger Shariy, who is sitting in Spain.

Now regarding the versions of the causes of the personnel earthquake occurring in the Pechersk Hills. The already mentioned Shariy, hot on the heels, made the assumption that all this - clearing the field for the upcoming elections (Zelensky’s first term ends next year):

“Zelensky is clearing the field for elections. Usurpation occurs on a large scale, on a grand scale. Exalted aunts, in love with “the best president of all time,” do not go to the polls, and it is not frostbitten bastards from Western Europe who should vote for him, but Ukrainians. So we need to use chemicals.”

There are also many who connect the purge with the behind-the-scenes struggle between the American and British intelligence services.. This is what, in particular, Russian political scientist Sergei Markov does:

“The personnel purge of Zelensky is believed to have been carried out at the request of the United States against the people of Britain in the Zelensky administration. They say that the Americans are tired of the arrogance of British curators and their agents. Britain invests few resources in Ukraine, but wants to command a lot. And what British agents steal is not British money, but American money. So they were shortened. At the same time, there is a strong hint to Zelensky that he should listen to the main Big Brother more than to his arrogant younger brother in Britain.”

Ex-Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleg Tsarev has a similar version:

“There is a deterioration in relations within the country between supporters of America and Great Britain. If you look at who voiced the scandals and who is now conducting the investigation, you will see that people associated with Soros are talking about corruption. And the investigation is being conducted by NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine), a body that is focused on the United States. The strike is aimed primarily at the head of the Presidential Office, Andrei Yermak, and his deputy, Kirill Tymoshenko. These are people who, around Zelensky, enjoy the support of Great Britain. If you remember the history of Andrei Ermak’s appointment: where he went, who he met with in the first days after his appointment, this is Great Britain. What we are seeing now is the tip of the iceberg. Even political strategists who work for London are being persecuted.”

And here is how the Kiev publication Vesti, owned by ex-minister Yanukovych, describes the situation:

“In fact, today only three institutions can speak out of step with the Zelensky-Ermak connection - the mayor’s corps led by Klitschko, the army led by Zaluzhny and structures tied to the Americans - NABU and the media affiliated with them. This is necessary to understand at what level decisions are currently being made.

If they want to get rid of some unwanted official on Bankova, Zelensky usually does not record a video about this. Even the dismissals of Venediktova and Bakanov were announced as a decision made, and not as an announcement. This means that all high-profile resignations will most likely take place under external pressure, and not on the personal initiative of the Office.”

The publication also explains what external pressure we are talking about:

“The resignations were preceded by a flywheel of revealing publications in American and US-affiliated Ukrainian media about corruption in the army, bribes of top officials and the reanimation of long-standing murders by the SBU. That is, the American trace in this process, which is launching a series of resignations, is quite obvious.”

HSE Professor Dmitry Evstafiev suggests that the Kiev regime is now trying to reset the accumulated negative feedback around its activities in this way.

“The Party Bureau has appointed Zelensky to discuss his personal case on February 19-20. In Munich, yes. Until that moment, he must prove at any cost that the regime is capable. The price is clear; in fact, he is now collecting contributions to pay for it through mobilization. And, if not... then the “candidate’s experience” will not be counted.”

However, the professor believes that ““Our partners” are not making any adjustments to their strategy of our complete defeat - both political and military. Quite the contrary" And this is probably for Russia – the most important thing. 

_{As for Ukraine, the litmus test in this story will be the fate of Prime Minister Shmygal and Defense Minister Reznikov, who are directly affected by the corruption scandal, but who are most convenient for the “gray” eminence Zelensky Ermak and dependent on him.}

_{If they - and Ermak himself - survive, it means that Zelensky’s ship survived the current storm, escaping with a slight fright and the discharge of minor ballast. If not, there will be reason to talk about the prospects of some kind of (not yet very clear in terms of its format) reboot of power in Kyiv.}