MOSCOW, April 5, Viktor Zhdanov. In the highest echelon of the Ukrainian The authorities are being purged. Even Zelensky’s closest associates are not immune from dismissal. Meanwhile, the position of the head of the presidential office, Andrei Yermak, is getting stronger. The reasons for the reshuffle are in the material.
Change of personnel A new wave of resignations began with the dismissal of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Alexey Danilov. His departure seemed quite logical. The official often made statements that were not coordinated with the president's office. It is also known that he had a difficult relationship with Ermak’s adviser Mikhail Podolyak.
Former Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Alexey Danilov
«I saw him only on the stumps of Yanukovych. I don’t understand, why is he now the voice of the army,” Danilov spoke publicly about Podolyak.
Apparently, the last straw was the statements addressed to the special representative of the People's Republic of China, Li Hui. The head of the Ukrainian Security Council deliberately rudely distorted the diplomat's last name and criticized Beijing's position on the conflict in Ukraine. At the same time, Zelensky decided that Danilov’s best appointment would be the post of ambassador to Moldova. In Kyiv, his place was taken by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Alexander Litvinenko.
After graduating from the Moscow FSK Academy (the former name of the FSB Academy), Litvinenko ended up in the SBU. After several years of work in the authorities, he moved to the National Institute for Strategic Studies. The “Orange Revolution” and subsequent events opened the doors for him to the National Security and Defense Council, from where Zelensky fired him in 2019.
He is not a new person in the Security Council, and the appointment looks quite logical. Probably, like Danilov, he will perform nominal functions, only without conflicts with the president’s office. Litvinenko was replaced as head of intelligence by Oleg Ivashchenko, who came from Budanov’s department. It is noteworthy that the long-time deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate somehow survived a scandal in 2020, when his boss Vasily Burba and other officials were fired for the major failure of one of the special operations.
Alexander Litvinenko
President without a wallet On the other hand, the personnel purges did not spare Zelensky’s office itself. Ermak's deputy, Andrei Smirnov, also lost his seat last week. No official reasons have been given. Exactly a year ago, the Ukrainian press reported that a criminal case had been initiated against an official for illegal enrichment.
Oleg Ustenko, who had been Zelensky’s economic adviser since the first year of his presidency, was also dismissed. In December 2023, he announced “Plan B” in case the US Congress does not allocate money to Ukraine in early January. It was supposed to look for internal sources of financing. Washington never approved the aid package, but Kyiv did not take any drastic measures.
Sergei Shefir
The most significant was the dismissal of Sergei Shefir, Zelensky’s closest friend and ally since the days of Kvartal 95. According to Ukrainian media, it was to his family that the head of the Kyiv regime rewrote corporate rights to Ukrainian and offshore companies. The official was often called the “president’s wallet.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova also fell under the resignation roller coaster. In the government, she was responsible for coordinating diplomatic issues and cooperation with the European Union and NATO.
Chas Ermak Podolyak assures that there is no “conspiracy theory” in personnel decisions. Allegedly, this is a reboot for maximum efficiency of the presidential apparatus. At the same time, the government reform announced by Prime Minister Denis Shmygal is underway, as a result of which they plan to reduce the number of ministries by a third.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal at an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in Kyiv
“The main reason is a very difficult situation for Ukraine,” Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Russian government, notes in an interview. “Firstly, failures at the front. Secondly, the lack of support from the United States, both financially and military plan. The Ukrainian leadership, willy-nilly, has thoughts: something urgently needs to be changed. It all started with the resignation of Zaluzhny. The honorary exile to the UK is solely on the political plane due to fears of the president and his circle of potential competitors.»
< br>Another reason for resignations is the situation with the economy and corruption, Denisov adds. “It is known that Shefir took the position to interact with the Ukrainian oligarchy. He was embedded in a number of corrupt systems. Western partners react quite nervously to this kind of activity, especially when they sponsor the state,” says the expert.
Joe Biden and Vladimir Zelensky during a meeting in Kyiv
The request for changes in power arose in order for the system to work more efficiently. But the crisis in Ukraine has already acquired all the features of a systemic one. According to Denisov, this means that nothing will fundamentally change from the change of persons in senior positions.
Nevertheless, the process is beneficial to Ermak as the second most influential person in the state. At Bankova, all the deputy heads of the president’s office appointed before him were fired. The same Shefir, according to the Ukrainian media, was considered as a likely candidate to replace him.
Aide to the President of Ukraine Andrey Ermak
«Zelensky already feels insecure in his chair, and now, at the insistence of those from above, he is being deprived of his entourage. It turns out that he will be all alone, like a rotten tooth. And he himself will soon fall out. But with Ermak’s inner circle, everything is okay,” emphasizes political scientist Alexander Dudchak.
According to the expert, in this way the position of the head of the president’s office has become even stronger. For the West, he, like Zelensky, is simply a performer. However, Ermak is rated higher there.