Oleg Varfolomeyev writes for Jamestown Foundation: Two years after taking office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has decided to reshuffle his government again. Unlike in spring 2020, when Zelenskyy replaced the ambitious Oleksy Honcharuk with the less well-recognized Denys Shmyhal as prime minister, this time the reshuffle has been rather slow and gradual. That ongoing process is making sitting government ministers and their retinues nervous and may be prompting many of them to, for now, prioritize self-preservation over pursuing any long-overdue reform initiatives. The ministerial musical chairs began last winter and will likely extend into the fall. With the carefully calculated shakeup, President Zelenskyy is apparently preparing the ground for his reelection campaign in 2024, despite promising in 2019 that he would serve for only one term. His recent personnel decisions may also have been influenced by Western creditors and partners, which demand reforms and steps against corruption. Most conspicuous has been the replacement of powerful interior minister Arsen Avakov, which may entail implications for national security.
go to Jamestown Foundation website: President Zelenskyy Reshuffles Government, Drops Powerful Interior Minister – Jamestown
