UKRAINIAN REVOLUTIONARY CABINET: 2014 POSITION DOSSIER

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1 UKRAINIAN REVOLUTIONARY CABINET: 2014 POSITION DOSSIER

2 Note: While some positions hold far-right views, FLCS has zero tolerance for any form of hate speech, including, but not limited to, racially or ethnically insensitive language or crisis plans. This will be strictly enforced in all contexts, including moderated and unmoderated caucuses as well as notes and directives. Vitaly Yarema, Deputy Prime Minister for Law Enforcement: Vitaly Yarema is a former Kiev police chief and strongly anti-corruption MP who is broadly popular in Fatherland party circles, though he is technically an independent. In his new position, Yarema controls the law enforcement policies and activities of the Ukrainian national government. He is charged with coordinating law enforcement officers in a way that tames violence and promotes peace and reconciliation within Ukraine, while still maintaining the political alignment of the government with the Euromaidan movement. Prime Minister Yatsenyuk has stated that this return to law and order, and to internal peace and stability, is a top priority for the new government. Oleksandr Sych, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy: Oleksandr Sych is a rising star among the nationalist Freedom party, particularly infamous and unpopular due to his firmly anti-abortion views; however, he has agreed to not pursue anti-women s rights legislation as a member of this coalition. Despite the title, Sych is not charged with the nation s humanitarian policy; rather, Sych s office is specified to focus on economic policy that reinforces international and internal humanitarian principles. He is the highest-ranking member of his party within the government, which has made him a bogeyman for Russia and for left-leaning opponents of the Euromaidan, both of which see his status as emblematic of troubling far-right influence in the revolution. This has made him extremely popular with his party s supporters, and extremely powerful and well-connected within the Freedom party and the European right wing more broadly. Volodymyr Groysman, Deputy Prime Minister for Regional Policy & Minister of Regional Development, Construction & Communal Living: Volodymyr Groysman has served two terms as the mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia prior to being tapped as Deputy Prime Minister for Regional Policy. Groysman, who is only 36 years old, is one of the few non-mps in the government, and a rising leader of both the political center and the Ukrainian Jewish community. Groysman is a political ally of Petro Poroshenko, who recommended Groysman to the new Prime Minister for a cabinet post. He has a lot of experience with agrarian business and is known for his ability to reform and streamline bureaucracy, and is expected to bring these talents into the national government. He holds a post in charge of the policy, maintenance, and development of housing infrastructure, while also being a deputy prime minister in charge of supervision of the execution of government policy in the different regions of Ukraine, which are notoriously sectionalist in their politics. Pavlo Petrenko, Minister of Justice: 34-year-old Pavlo Petrenko is described as a Yatsenyuk loyalist who has been a close ally of the new Prime Minister since their political beginnings in the Front for Change, a right-liberal party that Yatsenyuk led until it was merged into the Fatherland party in June As part of the merger, Petrenko was made one of Fatherland s deputy party leaders. The Justice Ministry regulates and enforces legal policy, includes the protection of citizens rights and the investigation of the legality of actions taken by the government. This means that Petrenko can carry out investigation of both recent actions by the new government, and 2

3 actions by the previous government under President Yanukovych s administration. However, the Justice cannot make arrests without the participation of Internal Affairs; it can only recommend them to Internal Affairs or the whole committee. Due to the ingrained corruption of Ukrainian politics, the Justice Ministry is often ineffective, corrupted, or stonewalled by corrupt officials, but perhaps the revolution offers an opportunity for this to change. Andrii Deshchytsia, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs: Andrii Deshchytsia is an nonpartisan career diplomat who is acting in the post of Foreign Minister, due to the lack of an elected President to appoint a Foreign Minister (this position is one of two cabinet posts, along with the Defense Minister, that is appointed by the President rather than by Parliament). Previously an Ambassador-at-Large, Deshchytsia is very active in the Ukrainian delegation to the United Nations, where he characteristically seeks multilateral diplomatic solutions that please all negotiating parties. He has never served in Parliament or been affiliated with a political party; he is generally very neutral on political matters, particularly on disputes that he sees as too partisan. However, he vocally opposes pro-russian actors and supports anti-russian sanctions by the West. Deshchytsia is trusted to oversee Ukrainian foreign policy in a manner that is representative of all interests of the government and the people. Oleksandr Shlapak, Minister of Finance: Oleksandr Shlapak is a Russian-born nonpartisan figure and veteran of Ukrainian politics, having served in many Ukrainian governments since Under President Leonid Kuchma, Shlapak served as Minister of Economy ( ), and later Deputy Chairman of the National Bank ( ). Under President Yushchenko, Shlapak was retained as Chairman of the State Treasury ( ) and then as a member of the Presidential Secretariat ( ), a special advisory body to the President that is largely equivalent to a Senior Staff. He has since been in the private financial sector, and was a witness for the prosecution against Yulia Tymoshenko in 2011, making Shlapak a more moderate voice with regard to the Euromaidan movement. As Finance Minister, Shlapak oversees internal finances and revenues of the state, including budgetary and taxation policies and financial security. Lyudmyla Denisova, Minister of Social Policy: Denisova is a leading member of the Fatherland party from Crimea. Despite Crimea typically being politically pro-russian, and thus an area where her party is unpopular, Denisova was a popular Minister of Economy in the Crimean regional government for many years. Denisova is a close ally of Yulia Tymoshenko, and was previously the Minister of Labor & Social Policy during Tymoshenko s term as Prime Minister ( ). In the new government, Denisova is effectively returned to the same post. Denisova s Ministry is in charge of labor relations, immigration policy, humanitarian aid, and policies regarding human rights, particularly women s and children s rights. Oleh Musiy, Minister of Health: Oleh Musiy is an independent MP and a popular activist for better medical services in Ukraine. He gained notoriety as an organizer of medical services for Euromaidan protesters after violent clashes between police and protesters. Musiy s selection has been widely praised for elevating a revolutionary activist to such a major post; his selection received a standing ovation in Parliament. The Health Ministry is in charge of effective healthcare administration, public health advocacy, and procurement of medicine and other resources necessary for better medical care, as well as healthcare response to disasters. 3

4 Pavlo Sheremeta, Minister of Economy & Trade: Pavlo Sheremeta is a renowned, Western-trained economist with a long career in academia with a specialization in political economy. Sheremeta was the president of the Kyiv School of Economics ( ) prior to his selection as Minister of Economy & Trade, and is reputed to be a radical opponent of regulations and other state interference in business. In contrast to the Ministry of Finance, which is focused on internal budgets and taxation, the Ministry of Economy and Trade is charged with more external policies such as business economics, trade, industry, and consumer rights. Sheremeta himself is American-educated, giving him considerable connections in Western capitalist democracies. Serhiy Kvit, Minister of Education & Science: Serhiy Kvit was an early right-wing promoter of the Euromaidan movement who was the president of Kyiv- Mohyla University prior to his selection as Minister of Education & Science, the post overseeing education policy, scientific programs and patents, and intellectual property rights. Kvit used his post as university president to both encourage and lead student protests at Kyiv-Mohyla University. However, the students and other revolutionaries are divided on his selection to the cabinet, due to his past involvement in rightwing paramilitary groups that were later connected with Right Sector, a far-right party that opposes both Russia and the EU. Despite his associations, Kvit has never advocated for Right Sector and supports joining the EU, and actually advocates for progressive education reform, as well as greater integrity in schools. Yevhen Nyshchuk, Minister of Culture: Yevhen Nyshchuk is a prominent Ukrainian actor who became an important celebrity leader of the Euromaidan movement. He has increasingly been called the Voice of Maidan. Though a constant presence on the front lines of the Maidan and on stages at rallies, Nyshchuk has no experience in politics or the work of the Culture Ministry, which oversees cultural development and management and cultural/historical preservation; as a result, his appointment has proven controversial. Nyshchuk has promised that the Culture Ministry will be more independent from the Presidency and Prime Ministry under his tenure, and that he intends to use his post to recover cultural artifacts stolen from the state. Ihor Tenyukh, Acting Minister of Defense: Admiral Ihor Tenyukh is a member of the nationalist Freedom party, and has over three decades experience in naval service with first the Soviet Union, and later Ukraine. He was most recently Commander of the Ukrainian Navy ( ) before his dismissal by President Yanukovych when the pro-russian president first took office. During the Euromaidan, Tenyukh participated in the streets, and called on the leadership of the Armed Forces to disobey the Yanukovych administration, publicly calling Yanukovych a traitor to the Ukrainian people and comparing the government to that of North Korea. Like Deshchytsia, Tenyukh is an Acting Minister, because the Foreign and Defense Ministers must be appointed by an elected President, while the other cabinet posts are appointed by Parliament. Unlike Deshchytsia, though, he is a partisan figure, and oversees military policy. His specific responsibilities include the coordination of military responses to foreign aggression--though the committee must judge that a military response is necessary, and can overrule the Minister of Defense by directive--and preparedness for any future conflicts or mobilizations. 4

5 Arsen Avakov, Minister of Internal Affairs: Arsen Avakov is the former Governor of the Khakiv Oblast, and one of the few major eastern Ukrainian politicians in the pro-eu camp. Avakov has a history of alleged corruption with regard to land transfers and distribution, which led to him being on Interpol s international wanted list for a period of time in 2012, before the charges against him were canceled on the grounds that they were politically motivated. Russia, however, still treats the charges against him as legitimate. His Ministry is charged with investigative power of crimes and other unlawful acts against the government, as well as ensuring civil order and security through law enforcement, which the Ministry of Internal Affairs oversees--though Internal Affairs cannot try or punish those it arrests, and must have just and constitutional cause to make arrests. Avakov s Ministry is also expected to protect citizens rights in collaboration with other ministers with similar roles. Avakov is an immigrant; he was born in Azerbaijan and is ethnically Armenian. Ihor Shvaika, Minister of Agrarian Policy & Food: Ihor Shvaika is charged with implementing policies regarding the production, monitoring, and security of agriculture, aquaculture, and other land usage by the state or any state-regulated industries for purposes of agro-development. His post is sometimes known as the Minister of Agriculture. Shvaika is a member of the right-wing Freedom party, and a leading campaigner against the use of shale gas as fuel. He has a history of thriving on publicity and taking high-profile cases as a lawyer, and was a Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Rules, Ethics and Support to Work within the Parliament prior to receiving a cabinet post. Yuriy Prodan, Minister of Fuel & Energy: Yuriy Prodan is a returning member of Tymoshenko s cabinet, within which he held this same post from , in charge of policies regarding power-generating processes, including oil, gas, and nuclear energy. Ukraine has a self-proclaimed fuel-energy complex which this Ministry directly manages, and Prodan has considerable experience and influence in this sector, having co-created the National Energy Market that allows for the state to monopolize the sale of electricity. Media have speculated that he is wellconnected among Ukrainian oligarchs. Andriy Mokhnyk, Minister of Ecology & Natural Resources: At 42 years old, Andriy Mokhnyk is already a veteran of the Ukrainian nationalist movement, having resisted the Russification policies of the USSR in his youth, and then joined the Ukrainian nationalist movement in earnest in the early years of independence. In addition to being one of his party s most prominent MPs, Mokhnyk is also deputy chairman of the right-wing Freedom party. He aligns with the Euromaidan movement due to his fiercely anti-russian worldview; he believes that Russia s ultimate goal is genocide against Ukrainians. In addition to the connections and prominence afforded by the Euromaidan movement, Mokhnyk is in charge of the Ecology Ministry, which is responsible for monitoring and developing ecological preservation, resources, and investments. Many in the political center and left are concerned he will pursue typically right-wing, anti-conservationist policies in this post. Maksym Burbak, Minister of Infrastructure: Maksym Burbak is a 38-year-old businessman with considerable ties to the automobile industry and to Prime Minister Yatsenyuk. Burbak was part of the leadership team of Yatsenyuk s previous party, Front for Change, before its merger into the Fatherland party. Having a considerable economic background, he is also the chair of a subcommittee of Parliament s Taxation & Customs Policy Committee; his subcommittee 5

6 covers the development of customs policy with regard to free trade and economic integration. His Ministry is in charge of transportation, intra-national communications security, and the transportation of natural resources and other goods of economic or state interest. Dmytro Bulatov, Minister of Youth & Sports: Dmytro Bulatov is a Euromaidan protest leader who now holds a post of considerable cultural importance to the Ukrainian people. Bulatov is the leader of the AutoMaidan, an offshoot of the Euromaidan movement that urged drivers of cars and cabs to use their vehicles to protect protestors, ferry supplies, and blockade, or even attack, government forces. The AutoMaidan is very internationalist in its aims, seeking to see Ukraine aligned with high international standards of freedom, peace, and human rights. Bulatov himself was kidnapped and tortured for over a week in late January by unknown individuals with Russian accents, making him somewhat paranoid for his safety. Many favor his appointment, though some criticize that his appointment is pandering to the Euromaidan movement. Bulatov s Ministry is charged with policies related to sports in relation to both civil society and education, including tackling corruption. Ostap Semerak, Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers: Ostap Semerak is charged with the internal organization of the government, which is in shambles, requiring a strong Minister of Cabinet of Ministers to intervene. Semerak s post is also in charge of maintaining internal communication, and overseeing the operations of regional and local governments, including their relationships with the national government. In addition, Semerak has made himself important to the Fatherland party as a critical foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, and as an anti-corruption crusader. Semerak was previously the leader of the Reforms & Order Party, a right-liberal party that merged into the Fatherland party at the same time that Yatsenyuk s previous party did--semerak and the new Prime Minister have been political allies ever since. Oleh Tyahnybok, Leader of the Freedom Party: Oleh Tyahnybok is a longtime MP who has been the Leader of the Freedom party since 2004, overseeing a party that has risen quickly to hold 37 seats, after previously holding none prior to the 2012 parliamentary elections. Tyahnybok is a controversial right-wing figure, who has been expelled from more moderate parties in the past, and is openly despised by the West and Russia alike. Tyahnybok regularly runs for President as his party s candidate, and leads their parliamentary ticket after each presidential election that he has lost. As party leader of the coalition government s minor partner--without which the government would not have a mandate in parliament to govern--tyahnybok determines the message and priorities of his party and can now be a powerful ally or powerful foe for the prime minister. Mykola Tomenko, MP: Mykola Tomenko is an elder statesman of the Fatherland party, having served in multiple leadership roles over a long career including as Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy during Yulia Tymoshenko s term as Prime Minister, and then as Deputy Chairman of Parliament ( ). Before his political career, Tomenko was a noted academic and political thinker, and a professor of history and political science at Kyiv-Mohyla University. Tomenko is technically a backbench MP after losing his deputy chairmanship after the 2012 parliamentary elections, but is a broadly well-known figure of importance and an important adviser to the new government. 6

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