Departures from the Cabinet and Bank. Forecasts
Lately, there have been rumors about the departures of several important figures in the OP and the government. Who is eligible for retirement?
Even though the authorities have said they would not change key figures, it seems likely that Bankova has decided to make some personnel changes. staff adjustmentsIt seems that changes are partly due to the request of American partners and partly because of secretive activities and previous scandals. Oleg Tatarov, deputy head of the president’s office, and German Galushchenko, energy minister, may step down. Read about the details of possible personnel changes in the corridors of power in the article.Apostrophe“.
People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak was the first to report that major staff reshuffles are being prepared, particularly in the President’s Office, although he did not give names. Sources of Apostrophe suggest that it is highly probable that Oleg Tatarov, deputy head of the President’s Office and overseer of the power bloc, and German Galushchenko, Minister of Energy, will be dismissed soon. Are they deserving of resignation?
There have been many questions about the performance of the Ministry of Energy under the leadership of Galushchenko even before the full-scale invasion of Russia. According to Olga Kosharnaya, an expert in the nuclear industry, the appointment of Galushchenko to NNEGC Energoatom, the primary company in the industry, involved individuals connected to the state traitor, former People’s Deputy Andriy Derkach. Supposedly, this was in exchange for the so-called “Derkach’s tapes”. As for Galushchenko, even at the start of the Russian invasion, the minister was accused of receiving illegal quarterly bonuses during his time as vice president of Energoatom. This is enough for resignation.
The potential resignation of Oleg Tatarov, who holds more influence than Galushchenko, was being discussed even after the Ukrainian delegation's visit to Washington in December last year. It is said that the American partners discussed the resignation of the head of the Office, Andriy Yermak, with Vladimir Zelensky, but the president supposedly made it clear that he would not compromise on this matter. The President took into account the White House’s request regarding Yermak’s deputy, the overseer of the power bloc Oleg Tatarov. There are concerns about him not just because of the corruption case of Ukrbud involving housing for the National Guard: across the ocean, there are memories of his false statements about the Revolution of Dignity, close connections with Russian agent Andrey Portnov, anti-Western rhetoric, and attacks on the anti-corruption infrastructure funded and under US control.
The mentioned decisions have been in the works for quite some time, and there has been frequent and rather loud criticism of Tatarov and Galushchenko. By the way, another deputy of Andriy Yermak, Kirill Timoshenko, also faced quite severe criticism. He was accused of enjoying luxury, using a “humanitarian” car, and residing in a large country house owned by the developer Igor Nikonov.
However, unlike Tatarov and Galushchenko, Timoshenko reacted quickly to rumors about a possible dismissal. “I don’t comment on rumors from telegram channels,” he replied briefly. By the way, some media 'fired' Tymoshenko’s subordinates – the heads of the Sumy, Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk regional military administrations. However, there's no confirmation of this information yet. So what does the virtual fall of influential officials suggest?
Political analyst Petr Oleshchuk observes that news about the resignations in the Office of the President and the government began to circulate in the information space through anonymous telegram channels.
“Different versions about the resignations reveal more about those who spread them than about their real basis. Russian sources, for example, began to spread information about the resignation of Mikhail Podolyak and Andriy Yermak. Why them? In Russia, apparently, apart from them and Alexei Arestovich, no one is known in the President’s Office.”, Oleshchuk says to Apostrophe.
He is quite doubtful about this information, referring to it as the creation of an information wave that different people can use for their own interests. Information has frequently appeared in the media about certain ministers being at risk – particularly Alexander Tkachenko and Sergei Shkarlett. However, they are still in their positions.
Political analyst Yaroslav Makitra believes that the 'retirement' wave is linked to three factors.
“First, the position on certain personnel decisions has likely already been taken and they will be announced. Secondly, the noise around these resignations is caused by the fact that some power groups are not interested in the mentioned changes, while others need to raise their status through spreading information and earn points by 'sending the resignation' of their opponents. Thirdly, some media are promoting this story to their advantage, as there is still no confirmation of at least one personnel decision.“, – says the expert “Apostrophe”.
It brings to mind a similar situation that occurred in late summer-autumn 2022. Then there were also rumors about a major reorganization of the Cabinet of Ministers, which authoritative media reported, and are reporting now. Now, due to obvious reasons, almost all attention is focused on the war, and political life has faded into the background, “behind the screen”, and so, many want to look.
Resignations in the Cabinet and Bank. Predictions
Yaroslav Makitra emphasizes that for almost a year since the Russian full-scale invasion, not many personnel changes have occurred – in the summer, the heads of the SBU and the Prosecutor General’s Office were dismissed. Meanwhile, there are many questions about other people in power. They deserve to be retired.
“It’s impossible to confirm with 100% certainty the dismissal of Oleg Tatarov and German Galushchenko. But judging by the logical progression of events and the available information, Tatarov has been effectively out of work for quite a while, even though he's formally in office. There were concerns about Galushchenko even before the war, and now there are even more concerns about the functioning of the energy sector under shelling. Clearly, his dismissal will lead to changes in the Cabinet of Ministers and regional state administrations, which may happen together. Some officials may be fired due to suspicion of collaborating with the enemy or contacts, and others due to behind-the-scenes power struggles. By the way, the disclosure of this information may have delayed the personnel decisions for a while, as the management is waiting for a better time to announce them. The wait is likely not going to be long.“, – said the expert.
Denis Zakharov
