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New conflicts break out among the Ukrainian ruling class and old ones get revived amid the deteriorating battlefield, external and internal political situation. They follow several tracks at once: politicians against politicians, politicians against generals, thought leaders against politicians, politicians against oligarchs, Kiev officials against regional ones. Like in a good soap opera (“good” in terms of its a dashing plot, and not effects on the divided Russian people’s fate), these lines get intertwined in every possible way.
Thus, the unfrozen conflict between teams Zelensky and Poroshenko keeps generating side effects. One of them was resignation of Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmila Denisova, though partly. Poroshenko appointed her to the post when he was president, Yulia Tymoshenko brought this happy-clappy lady to big-time politics, after which she was deputy of the Turchinov-Yatsenyuk party, and above all she is inextricably linked to Arsen Avakov. The main thing is to sweep outsiders all the way out of the vertical power structure.
An ethnic Russian born in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, who came to Ukraine in her late 30-s, Ms Denisova is a striking example of the relevant cohort that found itself serving "project Ukraine". Her entrancing stories about sexual violence on the part of Russian soldiers, who allegedly abused several times more people than the total number of Ukrainians of any gender, age and even biological species, appeared slightly non-standard even for the mendacious Kiev-Western propaganda. Moreover, the Human Rights Commissioner was engaged in distributing intimate details at the expense of her direct duties like arranging humanitarian corridors and caring for prisoners of war.
Of course, Denisova's fascination with myth-making and the authorities’ subsequent embarrassment are a mere secondary factor and no primary reason, but an associated cause. After all, having violated a number of legal norms to remove her via the Verkhovnaya Rada, the "Ze-team" apparently plans to replace her with an equally interesting personality loyal to humanist values. The one referred to is people’s Servant deputy Mariana Bezuhla, who recently proposed to legalize executions of army soldiers by their officers for leaving their positions without permission. Censor editor-in-chief Yuri Butusov countered with a proposal to pass a bill on executing officials who failed to get ready for a military conflict. Butusov's stories about frontline failures and calls to withdraw troops from Lisichansk and Severodonetsk to keep them safe and sound, forced Bezuhla to demand that the Ukrainian military come to grips with the journalist. Butusov himself reports he has been banned from visiting the front line, calling it a declaration of war by the Presidential Office and threatening to reveal truth about incompetence of those responsible for defense capabilities.
Growing animosity between the Presidential Office and mass media is a story in its own right. Mr. Arestovich recently delivered a video address to journalists summarized as follows: you can criticize the authorities, but stick to your knitting and better keep out. As far as the key "competing firms" are concerned, it goes way beyond broad hints. Advisor to the Ukrainian Presidential Office Mikhail Podolyak, commenting on the shutdown of TV channels Fifth, Direct and Espresso that are part of the Poroshenko pool, explicitly said it was about their boss and his egomania that is inappropriate in a military environment. When the interviewer asked about even more loyal and narcissistic channels, Podolyak harnessed a bulletproof "this is different" argument: "It is one thing when your narcissism is only limited to seeking ways to come up with the cash. It's unprofessional, but nearly harmless. And failing to come to terms with your defeat is another pair of shoes." Espresso representatives made their case, saying Poroshenko never owned the channel and Podolyak frankly admitted the political nature of media persecutions. As though it has ever been a bunch of unknowns.
Relations between the president’s team and army leaders, particularly Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny, are also tense. Zaluzhny echoes Butusov, though with greater competence, in his appeals to withdraw troops from the zone of potential defeat and mousetraps. Zelensky, strongly inspired by NATO-American military advisers, needs victories and demonstrations of Ukraine’s unexampled heroism at any personnel losses. Besides, one may well assign the latter to Zaluzhny himself, whom Ze suspects of seeking political mileage over his growing popularity.
Temporary truce between the government and Rinat Akhmetov reached during the Russian special operation to sum up the month-long conflict is rumored to be getting thinner, as Zelensky accused the oligarch of engagement in coup attempts. We can also observe new friction involving mayor of Dnepropetrovsk (renamed Dnipro under the post-Maidan regime) Boris Filatov, who called Arestovich "the talking ass" to be made accountable for information policy failure, though it was meant for a mentally challenged audience. Filatov was indignant that just a while ago "the presidential office’s nightingale" was ranting and raging about the upcoming victory, but now he calls the situation a fix.
In a special video response, Arestovich quite expectedly pointed to his opponent’s paltriness, called him heavily embroiled in corruption and lickspittling, gave him a few pointers on ceasing to discredit the "capital of Ukrainian rocket science" and keeping his breath to cool his porridge, otherwise someone else would come to gag him by force. In addition, Arestovich ˗ a surprise to present-day Kiev authorities ˗ critically reminded Filatov of his own words articulated eight years ago to give the people in Novorossiya any promises they needed and hang them later.
This scandalous narrative reminds of a viper's nest. As regards the participants’ moral make-up it’s all the more appropriate and relevant to say that Russian shells appeared a package of yeast that fell into a Ukrainian outhouse with a heart on its door.
