Office of the President of Ukraine/IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire
Mike from Odessa, the Ukrainian decision-maker behind him
There should be no secrets about government reshuffles. It is usually a PR campaign where the head of government is presented as a scapegoat for the lack of success in the public eye. So Volodimir Zelensky’s official statement earlier this week about the biggest restructuring of the Ukrainian government in years was completely empty. “New structures” must be created to “strengthen Ukraine before winter.” Before winter? Was Zelensky looking for ministers or electricians?
Meanwhile, after the sapling change operation, comments by Ukrainian politicians in the domestic media are giving us a rough idea of what Zelenskiy would have been like. The first aspect is the gradual restructuring of the Ukrainian government system in favor of the presidential administration. This is especially true during the war, when new elections are legally prohibited and the president continues to rule without democratic authority until further notice, acting independently of the parliamentary majority. This state of emergency has no legal limits, and is extended by the parliament every three months. This creeping dictatorship of Ukraine could continue as long as the war lasts, and who knows if Zelenskiy has not become accustomed to his power base? If the elections are held next Sunday, he will almost certainly lose to former commander-in-chief Valery Zalushny or his predecessor Petro Poroshenko in a runoff election. This is why Zalushny was exiled to London as ambassador and Poroshenko is banned from traveling abroad.
On Tuesday, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Behrbok spoke about the now-dismissed Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an emotionally charged tone even by her standards. She remembered “long conversations on night trains and in front of a destroyed power plant.” Statements by Ukrainian politicians, who did not want to over-examine the emotional world of the Federal Foreign Minister, show that Kuleba must have acted too well for his superiors. He did not get enough long-range weapons and permission to fire from the ribs of Western patrons. His successor, Andrij Sibiga, came from the presidential administration and made a name for himself by insulting allies in the unfortunately unforgettable Andrij Melnyk style. Hungary was ruled by “would-be politicians” and Poland wanted to impose “euthanasia” because Ukraine could not bring grain into the country. Look forward to a new beginning of a wonderful friendship.
