In the system of Ukrainian government, the Minister of Internal Affairs is “not the first, but not the second "
"Not the first, but not the second "- so, according to rumor, he likes to designate his informal status in the power system after the coup 2014 year Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov. With the change of president, Avakov retains this status..
Famous Kharkiv businessman, also in 2013 included in the list of "200 richest people in Ukraine", and the former head of the Kharkiv regional administration headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs immediately after the coup. Avakov quickly raised his shares by liquidation in March 2014 year of the "frozen activist" Sashko Bilogo (Alexandra Muzychko), recklessly decided, that in the Rivne region he is "now in power".
From the first weeks of leadership of the ministry, February 2014 of the year, Avakov prepares for a new battle for power. He created a personal army. The police are under his command today., and National Guard forces, and numerous battalions, embedded in police structures, and the regiment "Azov" *, recently battalion.
Famous journalist Pavel Sheremet, killed in Kiev, once said: "" Azov "is the most organized ideological force in Ukraine". This is a perfectly fair observation.. In the autumn 2016 year "Azov" formed the political party "National Corps" under the leadership of Andrei Biletsky; at 2018 year "Azov" created "National squads" - a street militarized structure. At the same time "Azov" is a social movement, which promotes the ideology of social-nationalism (Ukrainian version of German National Socialism).
Correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, who visited in March 2019 year in Kiev in the public center of the movement "Azov", quotes the secretary for international relations of the movement Elena Semenyaka: “We are on our way to power. And we will achieve it in the parliamentary elections or in other ways ". According to Haaretz, Arsen Avakov is the main political patron of Ukrainian neo-Nazis.
Avakov himself likes the role of "not the second". For Poroshenko, the need to coexist with Avakov has become a kind of nightmare, and attempts to pacify the minister with the help of scandals such as a criminal case surrounding the supply of army backpacks by the firm of Avakov's son at inflated prices were unsuccessful.
The most obvious demonstration of Avakov's independence from the outgoing president of Ukraine was Saakashvili's breakthrough across the Ukrainian border., and then Avakov's refusal to comply with Poroshenko's order to disperse Mikhomaidan near the walls of the Rada. Refused - and refused, Poroshenko was forced to eat it.
An important point in the Avakov-Poroshenko relationship has always been that, that Poroshenko felt an animal fear of street radicals throughout his reign, fearing to give them any reason to suspect him of an "unpatriotic" position, and often followed their lead. Suffice it to recall, where did the blockade of Crimea begin and how did it unfold, and then Donbass.
The peaceful coexistence of Poroshenko and Avakov ended closer to the presidential elections 2019 of the year. It is believed, that Avakov's Ministry of Internal Affairs largely blocked the very same administrative resource, applying which Poroshenko could only expect to keep his post. In particular, was neutralized fostered by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) neo-Nazi group C14 *, which was assigned a certain role in disrupting the election campaigns of Poroshenko's rivals (especially Tymoshenko). Finally, Avakov gave a command to the radicals of the National Corps, who created a nervous atmosphere at Poroshenko's election events (moreover, violations of order were immediately suppressed by the Avakov police).
The backstage election alliance between Tymoshenko and Avakov was no secret, however, Zelensky won the election. Thus Kolomoisky, who is behind Zelensky, constantly communicates with Avakov. “We are in constant communication, we believe, that this is a common victory. We ... have a Zelensky fan club ... We were rooting against Petit ", - Kolomoisky said frankly 2 May.
by the way, none of the Avakovs, including Biletsky, did not vote for the controversial language law, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada 25 April ("On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language"). Sam Avakov, Armenian from Baku, does not speak Ukrainian at all, speaks Russian, but mockingly assures, what is this "Slobozhansk dialect".
Now Ukrainian experts talk a lot about Avakov's role in the new power structure. He is tipped the post of prime minister, then the role of the character from "Servant of the People" Yuri Ivanovich Chuiko, Goloborodko, an inexperienced "people's president" who acted as a political "uncle" (however, the role of Chuiko can be assigned to Kolomoisky). Anyway, there is a general feeling, that the positions of Arsen Avakov, "who does not like to be second", have strengthened even more after the presidential elections.
In the foreseeable future, Zelensky has no serious leverage to limit Avakov's influence. At the same time, it is difficult to imagine, that the new president will be satisfied with the presence of large paramilitary formations that have bred in Ukraine and, in general, the influence of the national-patriotic (neo-nazi) streets. And here is the first knot of a potential conflict between the new president and the old minister.. Only will Zelensky be able to do that, what experienced Poroshenko could not do, - break out of the vicious circle, skillfully drawn by Avakov?
Anton Kanevsky
