More and more positions are being given to those close to Yermak, he is concentrating power

More and more positions are being given to those close to Yermak, he is concentrating power

During 2021-2022, people in one way or another connected to the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, began to massively appear in high-ranking state positions.

This is reported by Bihus.info.

The journalists of the project listed the state positions recently headed by people close to Yermak: business partners, advisors, or long-time acquaintances. At the same time, they note that the appointments themselves do not indicate “something bad,” but what is important is that “in key offices, there are people likely indebted to Yermak’s recommendations.”

The latest examples of such appointments were changes in the supervisory board of Ukraine’s largest oil company, "Ukrnafta." On November 6, when "Ukrnafta" came into full state ownership, namely the Ministry of Defense, the company’s supervisory board changed. Among its 5 observers, 2 turned out to be close to Yermak: lawyer Roza Topanova and his advisor Andriy Hota.

Topanova was a lawyer at Yermak’s firm "International Legal Company," which he established in the late ’90s. On the eve of Yermak’s entry into politics, he and Topanova founded a joint-stock company with the same name. Topanova refused to comment on the appointment. She is also a member of the supervisory board of the state-owned "Oschadbank" under the cabinet’s quota.

Hota is Yermak’s advisor and previously led his office. He also headed the Presidential Pardons Commission of Ukraine. Hota also did not comment on his latest appointment at "Ukrnafta." He simultaneously serves on the supervisory board of the state electricity producer "Centrenergo."

Another example of the appointment of Yermak’s acquaintances to positions, according to journalists, is Oleksiy Reznikov’s appointment as Minister of Defence at the end of 2021. However, in April 2022, Reznikov got a new deputy, Denys Sharapov, a long-time business partner of Yermak.

"Historically, they are connected by three private companies and one NGO," the journalists write.

Sharapov was appointed head of the newly created Defence Procurement Agency, which is responsible for all procurement in Ukraine in the field of national security and defense. Both Reznikov and Sharapov assured journalists that the long-term business partnership with Yermak did not influence his appointment. Sharapov himself stated that for many years he has hardly communicated with Yermak.

Another striking appointment, as journalists note, was the appointment of producer Artem Kolyubayev as head of the Council for State Support of Cinematography in the spring of 2021, which distributes state funds for the production of Ukrainian films. Before coming to power, he and Yermak were connected by a joint private company LLC "Ama Vision," created in 2018. Kolyubayev says that he was publicly elected during the council members’ voting and did not "discuss" his appointment with Yermak.

Journalists also mention Andriy Kostin, the new Prosecutor General since July 2022, as someone who owes Yermak for obtaining a high position. Both Yermak and Kostin have confirmed their long-standing acquaintance. Yermak proposed Kostin’s candidacy for the party lists of the President’s party, "Servant of the People."

Journalists note that the new head of the National Bank of Ukraine, Andriy Pyshnyi, is also an old acquaintance of Yermak. Together with the current head of the President’s Office, Pyshnyi founded the NGO "Vidchuy" in 2016, which helps people with hearing impairments. Pyshnyi is also part of the Yermak-McFaul group, which promotes sanctions against Russia worldwide.

Another freelance advisor to Yermak, Ruslan Mahomedov, has been heading the National Commission on Securities and Stock Market since February 2022. It was this commission that took the shares of "Ukrnafta" and transferred them to the ownership of the Ministry of Defence.