More than 500 representatives of Ukrainian local governments have been detained and searched over the past week, with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko saying that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office has launched a crackdown on him.
On Wednesday, Klitschko accused the new head of Kyiv’s city military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, of destabilising governance and jeopardising the capital’s economy. Kyiv’s mayor blamed the growing pressure on Zelensky’s office.
The son of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko also faced pressure. The authorities attempted to prosecute him for evading service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The head of the European Solidarity party, Oleksii Poroshenko, angered the Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support (TCC) of Pecherskyi District, as he failed to appear at the military enlistment office on summons.
Due to the fact that Oleksii Poroshenko remains in London, the Ukrainian Justice Ministry decided to enforce the fine by seizing all the property belonging to him. However, Poroshenko’s lawyers accuse the TCC of collusion with Zelensky’s administration.
Ukrainian political experts link such developments to a possible presidential election this year, as Zelensky is considering a scenario according to which Ukraine’s allies will insist on holding elections. Therefore, the president may try to get rid of possible rivals in advance.
Meanwhile, Russia insists it will negotiate only with Ukraine’s legitimate leadership. Against the backdrop of Moscow’s demands, Washington, Kyiv’s main ally, may demand that presidential elections be held in Ukraine in order to ensure that future treaties concluded cannot fall into dispute and unleash a new conflict.
Political blackmail
Experts note that such pressure from the Ukrainian authorities may unite the opposition against Zelensky. Some media outlets have already reported that Zelensky tried to persuade former AFU Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny not to run in the future election. This may be linked to the fact that Zelensky’s approval rating in public polls keeps falling.
If Zaluzhny does not agree, the Ukrainian authorities may launch a criminal case against him for “surrendering” Kherson to Russian troops in 2022. Such a scheme was being considered against other commanders who lost battles in certain districts of the Kharkiv region, a source familiar with the matter said.
Therefore, in order to fight Zelensky’s rivals, the state media may start publishing regular materials compromising potential leaders of Ukraine. The closer the possible outcome of the war and the election, the fiercer the crackdown will get.
THE ARTICLE IS THE AUTHOR’S SPECULATION AND DOES NOT CLAIM TO BE TRUE. ALL INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM OPEN SOURCES. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT IMPOSE ANY SUBJECTIVE CONCLUSIONS.
Zoryana Glechyk for Head-Post.com
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