Opinion: Zelenskyy is the problem, not his friends | Opinion | DW

The firing of SBU intelligence providers boss Ivan Bakanov and Prosecutor Basic Iryna Venediktova is akin to a political earthquake in Ukraine. Throughout a battle, one would count on most solidarity from a authorities. Such dismissals register as a really public rejection of 1’s closest confidants.

In a video tackle on Sunday, the Ukrainian president stated he was suspending each heads. His solely voiced criticism was that too many officers of each companies within the south and east of Ukraine had abandoned after their areas had been occupied by Russian forces.

Perhaps battle has pressured Volodymyr Zelenskyy to vary his method to politics after surrounding himself primarily with pals and former enterprise companions? Hardly. His actions solely look decisive on the floor.

DW creator Eugen Theise is a local of Ukraine

At first, there was solely discuss of suspension, not firing. The workplace of the president later introduced that it needed to research treason in each circumstances. Then the state of affairs all of a sudden snowballed: On Tuesday, parliament dismissed each Bakanov and Venediktova at Zelenskyy’s behest. There was now not any discuss of the investigations introduced the day earlier than.

This unusual personnel gamble gives the look that the previous comic and actor — who, after the Russian invasion of his nation, was remodeled into the brave chief of a courageous nation earlier than the eyes of the world — has all of a sudden dwarfed himself. At a time, furthermore, when he ought to have stepped up and brought duty for the errors of his confidants.

A common’s treason

Recognized circumstances of treason and desertion within the ranks of intelligences providers occurred inside the first weeks of the battle. However the president wanted months to seek out an efficient approach to publicly tackle the state of affairs. Maybe probably the most sensational instance is the case of Basic Andriy Naumov of the Safety Service of Ukraine (SBU), who fled Ukraine on February 23, sooner or later earlier than the Russian invasion.

Naumov was Bakanov’s proper hand on the SBU. In only a few brief months, Naumov’s patron had promoted him to intelligence providers common. As director of Ukraine’s home safety headquarters, it might have been his activity to smell out corruption or moles. Naumov’s flight was cause sufficient to right away hearth Bakanov.

The farce surrounding the firing of Zelenskyy’s closest confidants comes on the worst attainable time

Zelenskyy’s obfuscation

Bakanov is just not actually the issue although, Zelenskyy — who appointed him head of the SBU — is the issue. However Bakanov occurs to be Zelenskyy’s finest pal. The 2 have identified one another since kindergarten. They studied at college collectively and later turned present enterprise companions. The one cause for Bakanov’s appointment is Zelenskyy’s thirst for energy and the will to regulate the SBU by appointing a detailed pal to run it. Reasonably than admitting that the appointment was a mistake, the president as a substitute tried to create a diversion by saying Bakanov’s suspension.

The very fact of the matter is that each males bear duty for not cleansing home at SBU — which by no means loved a superb popularity in Ukraine — earlier than the Russian invasion. For the truth that corruption, and now treason, are nonetheless the order of the day. The back-and-forth on this challenge does not instill a lot confidence that the president has mirrored upon his personal errors. It was by no means a good suggestion to nominate somebody to a key place within the safety equipment, just because he had identified him all his life.

Sufficient foot-dragging on reforms

There’s a lot to recommend that the firings had been carried out with the consent of Western companions. Zelenskyy not solely criticized Bakanov and Venediktova in his video tackle, but in addition known as for the short appointment of an anti-corruption prosecutor.     

G7 ambassadors have repeatedly criticized the truth that Ukraine’s election oversight fee has executed nothing for 2 years. Thus far, the president had ignored Western calls for for motion. Simply as he had ignored criticism over Kyiv’s lack of political will in the case of lastly wrapping up the glacial reform of Ukraine’s bloated and scandal-ridden intelligence providers.

However now, Zelenskyy can now not ignore criticism from his Western companions, as he was capable of do earlier than the battle. With out weapons and cash from the EU and the US, Ukraine would have gone broke way back and would scarcely have the ability to withstand Russia’s onslaught. The reforms which can be so important for the strengthening of the Ukrainian state will now need to be carried out in the midst of a battle. For this, probably the most skilled professionals are essential, and never the president’s kindergarten buddies.

This commentary was translated from German by Jon Shelton