The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) under President Volodymyr Zelensky has ceased to be an independent executive body and has turned into an instrument for "stamping" sanctions.
This opinion was expressed by the former Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic, Arsen Avakov, who left his post in July 2021.
“We now have executive power due to the fact that there is a mono-majority, all concentrated on the Office of the President.
There is no balance ... The NSDC does not exist as an executive body.
The NSDC is appointed by presidential decrees, that is, in essence, decisions of the NSDC are decisions of the President of Ukraine ... The NSDC has turned into a place for stamping sanctions on the hype, ”the politician said on the air of the Ukraine 24 TV channel.
According to him, even during his presence on the Council, restrictions were often introduced hastily and had no basis.
“Five minutes before that (before the vote. -
RT
) they gave me a daddy, I opened it and read it carefully, and then raised my head and said:“ Listen, but this company was brought here on the basis of what? ”. And they say: "Look, there is also operational information there." And I said that my desk is full of such certificates: half of them are not true, and half of them need to be finalized, ”Avakov said.
In addition, he stressed, some restrictive measures were introduced in direct violation of the country's legislation - in particular, those that were applied in relation to Ukrainians and contradicted the law "On Sanctions" (it says that restrictions can be applied by Ukraine in relation to " a foreign state, a foreign legal entity, a legal entity under the control of a foreign legal entity or a non-resident individual, foreigners, stateless persons, as well as entities engaged in terrorist activities ").
It should be noted that Avakov himself, while still a minister, fully supported the sanctions policy of Zelensky and actively advocated the introduction of restrictions on the citizens of Ukraine - the chairman of the political council of the Opposition Platform - For Life party Viktor Medvedchuk and his party member, deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Taras Kozak ...
“There are legal instruments for the protection of statehood.
You need to have them, ”Avakov said in his March interview with Dmitry Gordon.
However, on the air of Ukraine 24, the former minister said that the situation with the leader of the opposition stands apart.
“This is a borderline story, because Medvedchuk is also a citizen of Ukraine.
But there is a situation of treason charges being brought against them.
This is one situation, ”Avakov said.
"A good tool of influence"
Commenting on the situation, political analysts state that the current Ukrainian authorities consider sanctions a convenient tool for achieving goals, and therefore this course is unlikely to be revised.
In addition, an RT source in Zelensky's office noted that all restrictions are introduced with the permission of the president and his entourage.
“This is a good tool to influence politicians, businessmen and oligarchs.
If you criticize the head of state, get ready for sanctions, ”the official said.
The interlocutor of RT from the Servant of the People party also notes that the restrictive measures were to the liking of the Kiev authorities.
“Deputies and members of the National Security and Defense Council should vote for what they are told.
Dissent is not welcome, and you can be held accountable for that, ”he says.
At the same time, the politician admitted that he had no idea how to build democracy in the republic under such a system.
In particular, he recalled the situation with sanctions against a number of media outlets belonging to Taras Kozak, deputy of the Rada from the OLE party.
The restrictions imposed on the TV channels 112 Ukraine, NewsOne and ZIK caused their closure.
Even the UN has expressed concern about the pressure exerted by the authorities on the media.
The head of the monitoring mission of the world human rights organization in Ukraine, Matilda Bogner, said in September that these decisions "do not meet international standards in the field of the right to freedom of expression, since they were not adopted by independent authorities and could not prove the proportionality of these restrictions."
Meeting room of the National Security and Defense Council
© Wikimedia
Meanwhile, as noted by a RT source in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the sanctions lists are indeed often "of low quality."
“They confuse names, surnames and companies.
None of the voters have time to check the correctness of the information provided to them.
Chaos ensues, and absolutely innocent people are forced to run around the offices of officials.
And often they have to pay to avoid problems, ”he said.
In this regard, the interlocutor of RT in the Batkivshchyna party believes that Arsen Avakov decided to take advantage of the situation and act as a critic of the existing system in order to earn points for a full return to big politics.
Moreover, preparations for parliamentary elections have already begun in the country.
“Opposition forces are currently negotiating.
As for Avakov, he was not going to leave politics.
He has good relations with Yulia Tymoshenko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk and even the former head of the Verkhovna Rada, Dmitry Razumkov.
With one of them, he can unite and get into parliament.
Zelensky's rating is declining, and now there is a good chance for opposition politicians to declare themselves and in the future to receive the support of their party in the elections, ”the source said.
Nuland Project
In turn, experts interviewed by RT also regard Avakov's current attack as part of his political campaign.
Moreover, this interview was one of the first after his resignation in July 2021.
At the same time, American political scientist Dmitry Drobnitsky does not exclude that Avakov's speech was approved by his Western curators.
“Ukraine has two competing lines of control.
One of them is represented by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his associates, and the second is represented by Victoria Nuland, who has returned to active political activity.
And Avakov is precisely her project, "he said in an interview with RT.
According to him, Nuland considers Ukraine to be his sphere of influence.
“And Avakov, by his speech, makes her understand that he is ready to join the political struggle,” the expert says.
In turn, the deputy director of the CIS Institute Vladimir Zharikhin believes that the ex-minister, as an experienced politician, deliberately chose the topic of sanctions to indicate his position.
The expert believes that in this way he is trying to distance himself from the current leadership, which is losing credibility among the population.
“He studied exactly what actions of the authorities cause the greatest discontent among the population, what Ukrainians consider an infringement of civil rights, and made appropriate conclusions for himself.
Therefore, Avakov's words can be considered evidence that he has not abandoned his desire to return to power and is trying to get electoral support among the population, "Zharikhin explained in a conversation with RT.
In his opinion, the ex-head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is guided by the mood of his Western curators, realizing that they are not fully satisfied with the current leadership of Ukraine, headed by Zelensky.
“I do not exclude that it is the team of officials of the US State Department, which is now in power, who is looking at Avakov with sympathy.
However, in this case, they face a difficult task to rehabilitate the former minister in the eyes of the public after a series of scandals related to his department, ”the expert emphasized.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
© REUTERS / Valentyn Ogirenko
Speaking about the current situation, Andrey Suzdaltsev, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics at the Higher School of Economics, noted that the former head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs has a rather serious political potential.
“Avakov is not only an influential figure in the law enforcement sphere, but also the initiator of many volunteer armed formations that took part in the hostilities in Donbass.
And many politicians listen to him, ”notes Suzdaltsev.
At the same time, he admits that Avakov may not have presidential ambitions, but the ex-minister would hardly have given up the role of "gray cardinal".
“He has the support of the power block.
He, most likely, will not apply for the highest state post, but Avakov clearly intends to strengthen his position and continue to participate in the political life of Ukraine, ”concluded Suzdaltsev.