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"The United States has long called on Ukraine to tackle the handful of tycoons who wield enormous political influence from behind the scenes to the detriment of the country and its citizens. However, the proposed legislation opens the door for subjective targeting, critics warn.
"I agree with the goal of 'de-oligarchization.' How it's done is another issue. There are various details and this is very important," George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, who oversees policy toward Ukraine, told RFE/RL in an interview in Kyiv conducted on July 20."
So that's what American officialdom is saying.
On practice of course, that's what it looks like;
"Kent said that the United States was advising Ukraine on the legislation, but added that the details of the final bill were ultimately up to Kyiv."
So let's see now what Kiev did on practice; ( what kind of law Zelensky pushed through)
In order to fit definition of "oligarch," one must meet at least 3 of the 4 following criteria;
1 to participate in the political life;
2 to have a significant influence on mass media;
3.to be an ultimate beneficial owner of the monopoly
4.to have confirmed value of assets that is bigger than minimal *subsistence level* million times. ( Currently this "subsistence level" in Ukraine is 2379 grivna per month. Therefore having 2 billion 270 million hryvnias (or $83.29 million) in assets, is what makes you an oligarch ( among other things.)
The list of the *oligarchs* is going to be comprised by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. ( Which is REALLY a working group/mechanism in charge of the final decisions on a state matters in Ukraine. This is the same group of Zelensky's advisors ( whom he appoints personally) that send the list of people to the US State Department, whom they want to see sanctioned by Americans. ( Just an example of their activities.))
Those falling under the definition of "oligarch" ( according to the decision of the aforementioned organization) are going to be
1.barred from financing the political parties,
2. barred from privatizing state enterprises ( which Zelensky keeps on pushing for.)
Now, the tricky part comes with who is going to be designated as "oligarch" by NSDC and who - as "investor" ( as Rinat Akhmetov hinted at his new role already few months ago.)
All this gives Zelensky an excellent opportunity to get rid of his political opponents, and to set himself for the next presidential elections, all while the ratings of his party ( and his own) keep on plummeting down.
The Rada was at the boiling point because of all that ( they are no fools, they understand what's going on.)
Notably absent during this voting is the parliament speaker Dmitri Razumkov, who is missing his duties more and more lately, refusing to side with Zelensky and his demands to finish off any opposition in the country. He doesn't want to participate in the activities that he deems unconstitutional ( because they are.)
This time around he simply sent the new "oligarch law" to the Venice Commission, ( officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, an advisory body of the Council of Europe,) and let THEM have a look at it.
As the rumor has it, Zelensky is looking lately for a way to get rid of Razumkov, and to replace him with the yes-man Stephanchuk.
Ukraine wants to force Hungary to get it's gas through them (and most likely pay more for it) instead of using NS2.
As stated by Hungary.
Quote:
“The Ukrainians have nothing to do with what we agree on and with whom. We consider it a serious violation of our sovereignty and national security interests that they want to prevent the secure supply of gas to our country, the heating of Hungarian people’s homes and the operation of industry,†Szijjarto wrote.
Hungary is a sovereign nation. They can deal with whom they choose.
I guess Ukraine is learning the hard way about "European values." If you live by the power of a boot on the neck, you die with a boot on your neck.
"The United States has long called on Ukraine to tackle the handful of tycoons who wield enormous political influence from behind the scenes to the detriment of the country and its citizens. However, the proposed legislation opens the door for subjective targeting, critics warn.
"I agree with the goal of 'de-oligarchization.' How it's done is another issue. There are various details and this is very important," George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, who oversees policy toward Ukraine, told RFE/RL in an interview in Kyiv conducted on July 20."
So that's what American officialdom is saying.
On practice of course, that's what it looks like;
"Kent said that the United States was advising Ukraine on the legislation, but added that the details of the final bill were ultimately up to Kyiv."
So let's see now what Kiev did on practice; ( what kind of law Zelensky pushed through)
In order to fit definition of "oligarch," one must meet at least 3 of the 4 following criteria;
1 to participate in the political life;
2 to have a significant influence on mass media;
3.to be an ultimate beneficial owner of the monopoly
4.to have confirmed value of assets that is bigger than minimal *subsistence level* million times. ( Currently this "subsistence level" in Ukraine is 2379 grivna per month. Therefore having 2 billion 270 million hryvnias (or $83.29 million) in assets, is what makes you an oligarch ( among other things.)
The list of the *oligarchs* is going to be comprised by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. ( Which is REALLY a working group/mechanism in charge of the final decisions on a state matters in Ukraine. This is the same group of Zelensky's advisors ( whom he appoints personally) that send the list of people to the US State Department, whom they want to see sanctioned by Americans. ( Just an example of their activities.))
Those falling under the definition of "oligarch" ( according to the decision of the aforementioned organization) are going to be
1.barred from financing the political parties,
2. barred from privatizing state enterprises ( which Zelensky keeps on pushing for.)
Now, the tricky part comes with who is going to be designated as "oligarch" by NSDC and who - as "investor" ( as Rinat Akhmetov hinted at his new role already few months ago.)
All this gives Zelensky an excellent opportunity to get rid of his political opponents, and to set himself for the next presidential elections, all while the ratings of his party ( and his own) keep on plummeting down.
The Rada was at the boiling point because of all that ( they are no fools, they understand what's going on.)
Notably absent during this voting is the parliament speaker Dmitri Razumkov, who is missing his duties more and more lately, refusing to side with Zelensky and his demands to finish off any opposition in the country. He doesn't want to participate in the activities that he deems unconstitutional ( because they are.)
This time around he simply sent the new "oligarch law" to the Venice Commission, ( officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, an advisory body of the Council of Europe,) and let THEM have a look at it.
As the rumor has it, Zelensky is looking lately for a way to get rid of Razumkov, and to replace him with the yes-man Stephanchuk.
So after Zelensky pushed through this "anti-oligarchic law" ( that he personally was vouching for, in order to please his overseas masters and to get rid of any opposition inside of his country,) here comes the next scandal;
"On the campaign trail, Zelenskiy pledged to clean up Ukraine’s oligarch-dominated ruling system. And he railed against politicians such as the wealthy incumbent Petro Poroshenko who hid their assets offshore. The message worked. Zelenskiy won 73% of the vote and now sits in a cavernous office in the capital, Kyiv, decorated with gilded stucco ceilings. Last month, he held talks with Joe Biden in the Oval Office.
The Pandora papers, leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and shared with the Guardian as part of a global investigation however, suggest Zelenskiy is rather similar to his predecessors.
The leaked documents suggest he had – or has – a previously undisclosed stake in an offshore company, which he appears to have secretly transferred to a friend weeks before winning the presidential vote."
"The files reveal Zelenskiy participated in a sprawling network of offshore companies, co-owned with his longtime friends and TV business partners. They include Serhiy Shefir, who produced Zelensky’s hit shows, and Shefir’s older brother, Borys, who wrote the scripts. Another member of the consortium is Ivan Bakanov, a childhood friend. Bakanov was general director of Zelenskiy’s production studio, Kvartal 95."
You can read the rest yourself.
My question is, why "the West" is trying to throw Zelensky under the bus now, while making these files public?
Does it have anything to do by any chance with upcoming cold winter, the skyrocketing gas prices, the desire of Europeans to stay warm, and with Ukraine standing on the way of this warmth, since it keeps on throwing hissy fits regarding the opening of the NS 2 pipe?
Yet another political murder in Ukraine.
33 year old former deputy of "Servant of the People" party ( who was forced to leave, so he changed his affiliation in the Rada,) Anton Polyakov died over night in the taxi cab, after he flagged down its driver.
He was already throwing up and his speech was incoherent. His heart stopped while he was still in the taxi, in spite of the ambulance efforts to revive him.
Just two days earlier Anton was on TV program, openly talking about the "money in the envelopes," that "Servants of the people" receive behind the scene to vote the "correct way."
And this includes the latest "voting" on dismissal of the parliament speaker Dmitry Razumkov, who refused to back Zelensky on the number of issues - be that shutting down the opposition channels, or "sanctioning" of the opposition, or voting for the so-called "anti-oligarchic law."
Razumkov pointed that these actions were anti-consitutional and he had no desire to approve the illegal ways, no matter who they were directed against. "The law is the law" was his motto.
So he was dismissed by Zelensky, which brought to Razumkov only more respect and recognition from the public ( judging by the polls.)
Neither Polyakov nor Razumkov were known as "pro-Russian" in Ukrainian politics ( as much as Dubinsky who was sanctioned by the US earlier.)
But all these actions by Zelensky aiming to please the Nationalists still don't bring him the desired results. So this is yet another *protest* with threats, staged in front of his summer residence by them today;
Interestingly enough, they are protesting in front of the Poroshnko's residence as well, accusing him of the "deal with pro-Russian Medvedchuk" - one of the leader of the "Opposition" party, who went to Kremlin to sign the contract on cheap gas from Russia. He is *sanctioned* and sits under the house arrest for that already few months, with the "on-going investigation," being accused of the state treason.
Yet another political murder in Ukraine.
33 year old former deputy of "Servant of the People" party ( who was forced to leave, so he changed his affiliation in the Rada,) Anton Polyakov died over night in the taxi cab, after he flagged down its driver.
The more Ukrainian officialdom is trying to explain to public the *investigation* in the death of the healthy 33 year old deputy, who openly talked about the payments to the "Servant of the people" party, to "vote for the laws the correct way,") the worse it looks for Zelensky.
So now Sharij explains in details, that the night Polykov died, there were three of them sitting in the regular spot in the restaurant, not two as the officialdom is trying to peddle.
The reason why the officials are trying to avoid this inconvenient subject all together, is because the third person who joined the first two, is someone close to David Arachamia, head of the "Servant of the people party."
Arachamia is originally Georgian, so the third person who joined Polyakov that evening was of the Caucasian descent as well.
The cab driver who supposedly "picked up Polyakov on the side of the street, when he was ( supposedly) drunk, was yet another Caucasian.
He didn't pass the lie detector test and later had to acknowledge that he didn't "pick up Polyakov" from the street as he stated earlier, but in fact Polyakov was passed to him from another car ( by his two companions,) when Polyakov was already half-unconscious and was throwing up right and left.
They found methadone in his blood, which is lethal, when mixed with alcohol. (They were drinking in the restaurant, and the bill showed that Polyakov had 200 of vodka in 4 hours, with the meal.)
After the cab driver ( who already has previous criminal record,) told the truth, ( that Polyakov was passed to him from another car,) he was beaten up by the police.
That Polyakov was an alcoholic/drug user that the Ukrainian officialdom is trying to convince the public now - no one believes in that, knowing well who/what 33 year old deputy was. ( And remembering his last speech in the TV program, publicly exposing the "Servant of the People" party.)
And again, as usual - not a pipsqueak from the Western media.
Navalny and Navalny only. And the omnipresent Putin "who poisoned him."
As in "we are preoccupied only with the *justice for those, that serve our interests, the rest don't count when it comes to "democracy."
There's a lot of Georgians involved in Ukraines politics. They're mostly in the background but you can certainly find them when you look through the news.
Was there a lot of Georgian immigration in the past?
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Unstable peace is better than a good fight
