Media: A fierce squabble between the clans of Yatsenyuk, Poroshenko and Firtash has unfolded in Bukovina

Kyiv, February 25 (PolitNavigator, Mikhail Ryabov) – In Bukovina, the homeland of Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a fierce confrontation broke out between his clan and the proteges of President Petro Poroshenko and gas oligarch Dmitry Firtash.

Moreover, Yatsenyuk, trying to present himself as the image of a new generation of pro-European politicians, has developed nepotism on an especially large scale in his domain.

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He writes about it portal “Western Ukrainian News and Reflections” (WUNR).

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The publication explains that Yatsenyuk’s homeland, the Chernivtsi region, plays an important geopolitical role and is controlled primarily by three clans: the prime minister, gas oligarch Dmitry Firtash and President Petro Poroshenko.

“The Chernivtsi region, despite its small geographical “dimensions”, the absence of a noticeable industry and other marginalizing factors, remains a key region for many groups for various reasons: Dmitry Firtash started a business here, Arseniy Yatsenyuk - a political career, Metropolitan Onufriy (Berezovsky) - episcopal ministry . Pro-Russian forces view this territory as a point of geopolitical entry into the Balkans and Western Ukraine, pro-Romanian forces – as a sphere of potential intervention, the Romanian Orthodox Church and the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate – as a spiritual borderland, separate political structures (“Opposition Bloc”, and in the past, Communist, Socialist and the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine) – as “saving electoral straws,” the publication says.

The author of the material clarifies that Yatsenyuk’s group is pursuing a fairly aggressive policy, trying to challenge the control of Poroshenko and Firtash over a number of sources of income. For example, the points of conflict between the Firtash and Yatsenyuk groups is the struggle for the largest shopping facilities in Chernivtsi, and the prime minister’s associates are “butting heads” with Poroshenko for control over the security forces, the distribution of budget funds, and government projects.

"Chernivtsi region. – borderline. The demarcation with the “European Union” Romania, Moldova and the relative proximity of Transnistria sharply raise the rates of smuggling, turning the positions of customs officers into key ones in the distribution of political “pies”. The traffic of goods de facto and de iure is coordinated by the Ministry of Revenue and Duties - and controlled by the Security Service of Ukraine, therefore, the appointment of the head of the SBU in Bukovina is always considered a political event (what is the “price of the struggle” today - one can only guess by the degree of the “Maidan” protests in front of the main office of the special service),” the publication argues.

Yatsenyuk’s business in Chernivtsi is being looked after by “people who studied with him, started a business, and made a career,” the author clarifies.

“The construction of luxury housing in the city center is part of the family business of Arseniy Yatsenyuk and his immediate circle - mainly from the same school No. 9 (now gymnasium No. 4) of Chernivtsi and the Faculty of Law of Chernivtsi University,” writes ZUNR.

The cloudless existence of Yatsenyuk’s business is ensured by the officials appointed by him:

“As of the beginning of 2015, Arseniy Petrovich is the leader of an influential Bukovinian group that owns controlling stakes in the region: the position of chairman of the Chernivtsi regional state administration (former people's deputy Alexander Fishchuk), the Chernivtsi city chairman (Aleksey Kaspruk), the majority of posts subordinate to them in Regional State Administration and city authorities...”, the publication lists.

It is interesting that Yatsenyuk created similar nepotism in Kyiv.

“The political representation of Chernivtsi “front-line soldiers” in the capital is no less solid - until recently, as many as three Chernivtsi residents, connected by a common school and university past, were members of the Cabinet of Ministers at the same time - Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk personally, his classmate, Minister of Justice Pavel Petrenko, and the brother of his classmate, Minister of Infrastructure Maxim Burbak,” the publication recalls.