Court of Zelensky rocked by aide’s ‘thirst for power’
www.thetimes.com
Senior officials in Ukraine are increasingly alarmed at the president’s reliance on Andriy ­Yermak, his chief of staff
  • Sodium_nitride@lemmygrad.ml
    9·
    5 months ago

    Yermak’s authority has surpassed that of all of Ukraine’s elected officials bar the president. Some sources went so far as to describe him as the “de facto head of state” or “Ukraine’s vice-president” in a series of interviews.

    Damn, wtf is Zelensky doing then?

    Diplomatic sources complained that he exercised complete control over ­access to the president, with G7 ambassadors who hoped for an audience presented with Yermak instead.

    Like seriously, wtf is going on? Why is the chief of staff meeting with diplomats even? Shouldn’t it be an ambassador or something?

    The president’s office dismissed the criticism as “propaganda attacks”, insisting Zelensky regularly met ambassadors but was often out of the country or had more pressing engagements.

    Everything is propaganda. Even complaints by your own allies.

    Military officials, meanwhile, have accused Yermak, 52, of keeping General Valery Zaluzhny away from the president, and eventually orchestrating his dismissal as head of the armed forces in February. Yermak, they claim, considered Zaluzhny a rival to his authority.

    Government insiders also blamed Yermak for the sacking of the deputy prime minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, last month after he reported efforts by MPs in Zelensky’s party to bribe him.

    Oleh Ustenko, Zelensky’s former economics adviser, who was dismissed in March without explanation.

    This shit is wild lmao. This Yermak guy is just purging the Ukrainian government basically. Critical support?

    Concern is mounting that Zelensky is increasingly reliant on a handful of sycophantic domestic voices

    A clear sign that Ukraine is winning the war.

    The Kremlin has sought to seize on Yermak’s increased influence, allegations of corruption and the expiry of Zelensky’s term of office to produce false propaganda, claiming Ukraine has become an autocracy.

    Spends the entire article showing the sheer depth of Yermak’s ability to basically purge the Ukrainian government of rivals, protect his lackeys from prosecution for corruption, and basically hijack the whole legal system. Says that people are complaining that Yermak is basically acting like the head of state now. Also, when the Russians say literally the exact same thing, it’s false propaganda.