Editor’s note: Every week Kyiv Post journalist Oleg Sukhov picks a winner and loser in Ukraine’s drive to transform itself into a rule-of-law, European-style democracy.
Reformer of the week – Roman Sinitsyn
Civic activist Roman Sinitsyn has led a campaign for the firing of Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.
About 200 protesters on Aug. 28 demanded the resignation of Avakov in front of the Presidential Office in Kyiv. Despite this, the Verkhovna Rada appointed him on the next day.
Sinistsyn addressed newly-appointed Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk on Facebook about Avakov’s appointment.
“Honcharuk, you have a choice: either bury your reputation once and for all and appoint an a**hole with an approval rating equal to a measurement error to the Cabinet… or be brave enough to get rid of this garbage,” he wrote. “You should know that all your reforms and your ‘country in a smartphone’ will end the moment you appoint Avakov to the Cabinet. There will be no law enforcement reform. Instead, this a***le’s influence and power will be cemented for five more years.”
Sinitsyn is also member of a group fighting for justice in the case of whistleblower Kateryna Gandziuk, who died in a hospital on Nov. 4 from injuries suffered in an acid attack.
He was a member of a police vetting commission in 2016 but withdrew from it, saying that Avakov was blocking the cleansing of the police.
Sinitsyn is also a co-founder of the Narodny Tyl (People’s Home Front) volunteer group.
Anti-reformer of the week – Volodymyr Zelensky
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 29 backed keeping Arsen Avakov as interior minister despite extensive evidence of alleged corruption and sabotage of reforms and investigations. The Verkhovna Rada approved his appointment as part of a package vote for the Cabinet.
Zelensky’s press office did not respond to a request for comment.
Zelensky ignored a large-scale campaign by Ukraine’s civil society and anti-corruption watchdogs to have Avakov fired. From now own, Zelensky will bear personal responsibility for Avakov’s failures – both past and future ones.
As many as 24 civil society groups and anti-corruption watchdogs urged Zelensky and the Rada on Aug. 28 not to re-appoint Avakov. These include the Anti-Corruption Action Center, AutoMaidan, StateWatch, Transparency International Ukraine and the DEJURE legal think-tank.
“Avakov is associated with the old policy of corruption and hypocrisy,” they said in a joint statement. “Avakov is responsible for failing to reform the police, sabotaging the vetting of police officers, keeping tainted police officials and suspects in EuroMaidan cases in key jobs, failing to investigate attacks on civic activists and numerous corruption scandals linked to him and his inner circle.”
Avakov has denied the accusations.
Avakov’s stint in office since 2014 has been marred with numerous accusations of corruption and sabotage of reforms.
In 2017 Avakov’s son Oleksandr and Avakov’s ex-deputy Serhiy Chebotar were arrested and charged by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine with embezzling Hr 14 million in a case related to the supply of overpriced backpacks to the Interior Ministry. They deny the accusations.
In 2018 anti-corruption prosecutors closed the case against Oleksandr Avakov and Chebotar. However, Security Service of Ukraine video footage has been published on the Internet where Oleksandr Avakov and Chebotar discuss a scheme to supply backpacks to the National Guard in Chebotar’s office.
