OP-ED

Brian Mefford: Ukraine adds political drama to coronavirus crisis

By Brian Mefford.

Published April 5, 2020 at 5:01 am

Activists wearing protective outfit roll a huge banner that reads “Avakov get out!” at the “Anti-Avakovirus” rally demanding the firing Interior Minister Arsen Avakov in front of the office of the president in Kyiv on Feb. 23, 2020.

Photo by Volodymyr Petrov

The Ukrainian political scene has been particularly volatile over the last month. With the population increasingly under lockdown in response to the coronavirus crisis, March 2020 saw a series of cabinet shakeups and new ministerial appointments. This took place against the backdrop of a looming economic recession fueled by the escalating impact of the global pandemic.