Reshuffle in Kyiv: many open questions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced another cabinet reshuffle as well as changes at the top of the law enforcement agencies. Zelensky explained that Ukraine was undergoing a strategic realignment, without giving any further details. All that is known so far is that Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is to be replaced after only one year in office. Commentators discuss what other changes are on the cards.
Washington needs someone it can trust
It's pretty clear where Svyrydenko will be heading now, writes political scientist Oleh Posternak on Facebook:
“During her year as Prime Minister, Svyrydenko established numerous effective contacts in Washington. She was personally involved in the Ukrainian-American agreement on mineral resources. US-Ukrainian relations are expected to move to a new, action-oriented level which requires the necessary support. For this, the US needs a high-ranking figure who is extremely trustworthy, untainted by corruption and has direct access to the Ukrainian President. So Svyrydenko is likely to be heading to the US as Ukraine's ambassador soon.”
Curtains for the successful Defence Minister?
Gazeta Wyborcza has its suspicions about what comes next:
“The crux of the intrigue centres on Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. On Sunday, some commentators were talking about the possibility of him being replaced by the current Minister of Internal Affairs. ... Fedorov's dismissal would be seen by many as a setback for the reforms he has initiated. Moreover, since he took office as Defence Minister, there has been a marked increase in the army's efficiency, attributable to the implementation of armaments programmes, particularly concerning unmanned systems.”
The reformer has made himself unpopular
TVNet analyses the reasons for Fedorov's potential removal from office:
“He took office promising comprehensive reforms in both the mobilisation of soldiers (employment contracts, pay, rotation) and the fight against corruption in defence procurement. ... There are reports that differences in leadership styles and decision-making speed have led to tensions between Fedorov and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrsky. ... But a more cynical version is circulating in the Ukrainian media: Fedorov's reforms are not going down well with politicians, civil servants or entrepreneurs who stand to gain from the defence budget in the war. Although Fedorov's transfer would reduce tensions in the defence sector, it would hinder the fight against corruption.”
Not something one announces on Telegram
Sofiya Fedyna, a People's Deputy of Ukraine for the opposition party European Solidarity, strongly criticises the president's actions on Facebook:
“Zelensky is once again demonstrating legal nihilism. He is announcing a change in the office of the Prime Minister as if it were his own staffing decision rather than a procedure governed by the constitution. Not only the public but deputies, too, are learning about this on Telegram. There can be no talk of this being a presidential-parliamentary republic or a coalition: the role of Zelensky's absolute majority in parliament has long been reduced to merely pressing the voting buttons.”