The difficulty of carrying out reforms in Ukraine is due, in particular, to the actions of financial groups that privatized Ukrainian enterprises, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has stated.
“When Ukraine gained independence in the early 1990s, because the country is so attractive and rich, it was plundered not only from the outside, but also from the inside by many people who are now respected businessmen. I consider them just bandits, that is, they have become multimillionaires or billionaires on what was left of the Soviet era – enterprises. They did not build them, but simply took them away, “raided” them,” Zelensky said in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro, the text of which is available on the website of the head of state.
“And these people are financial groups. Today they have real estate, yachts, by the way, in England and France, in elite regions, in Monaco. Today, they are respected businessmen all over Europe who not only visit it, but live there. That is why we need to fight all these groups. And we do it,” he added.
When asked if this fight is effective, Zelensky answered “yes.”
In addition, according to the president, reforms are hindered by pressure from people and forces who do not want to see Ukraine strong, as well as external encroachments on its territory and resources.
In particular, he noted the desire of the Russian Federation to prevent reforms in Ukraine, in particular, propaganda and espionage from the Russian side.
“The Center for Countering Disinformation was established in Ukraine two weeks ago. I am also going to officially open our Cybersecurity Center next month. It is very important for countering disinformation. Disinformation today kills everything – it affects the exchange rate, the investment climate – we understand how investors are attracted, and because of this new factories and plants may not be opened, so no new jobs will be created,” he said.
Asked about the spies, the head of state said “yes, we have cases, we find them, and the Security Service deals with that.”
