![]() This self-government reform promised to magically vaccinate away tensions between the central government and local communities, thus strengthening Ukraine’s immune system in the face of viral Russian aggression. And so much for the promise of decentralization, so aggressively marketed since 2014. So much for promises made by someone seeking reelection next year. “No one’s knee-kicking anyone’s will in two,” Mayor Klitschko told us on camera back in December. Never mind dozens of letters sent, a thousand angry Oboloners’ signatures collected, a criminal case opened - and spectacularly stalled - and up to ten protests held at City Council over four months - face-to-face with the heavily guarded officials involved. ![]() Could her galaxy be a million light years closer to Tymoshenko’s then ours? Apparently, no such pressure in the entire universe applies to their fellow partisan from Rivne Oblast, the expeditionary developer-assemblywoman. Interestingly, in our case, Tymoshenko’s City Council members have repeatedly voted no, local public pressure being a factor. One such flash point may soon be coming to our overcrowded, pipe-bursting community in Kyiv’s Obolon district. No matter how fed up the electorate, how fragile its trust and how close the elections, many elected officials there can’t wait to fist-bump through a string of lucrative but not-so-legal and local-friendly construction projects.įor more than a decade, bloody clashes have flared up all across Kyiv between developers’ private armies (aka titushki) moving in equipment and unconsenting locals defending beloved parks and lakes, with riot police often acting as bystanders. If you’re looking for a sizzling hot example of how such forbidden romances flourish, look no further than the protest-plagued Kyiv City Council and its draconian security measures. When big money can be made, the big iron fists these ladies and gentlemen pack often give way to big iron fist bumps. But hey, back home in Ukraine, colder calculations prevail. Judging by the avalanche of lofty and feisty Ukrainian rhetoric that descended on Davos, Switzerland, this January, the battle for that coveted “Best Reformer” Oscar was hotter and bloodier than the borsch. Flip on the TV and watch them play mortal enemies and immortal visionaries every Shakespearean chance they get, which makes comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s lead in the race a bit redundant. So what’s with this somewhat odd but well-connected cast of characters, you may ask?Īt first glance, in times of war and razor-sharp electoral polarization, they and their tribal leaders may be at each other’s throats. To be fair, they’re not the only Russians with a longstanding presence in town as Russia’s smoldering war of aggression against Ukraine enters its sixth year. Did you know that the Leonid Kuchma regime signed off on their Globus mall at the Maidan to dislodge the 2000-2001 opposition protests there? The now-iconic “Ukrainian chick on a d**k” that rises above the mall (in Korogodsky’s architectural critique terms) epitomizes an era no less grotesque (he’s running for mayor). Finally, ask former Russian national (until 2015) Garik Korogodsky and active Russian national (reportedly) Aleksandr Melamud, the duo that has built a real estate empire in Kyiv over the last two decades. Iron Fist”), who migrated from boxing to politics as a pro-construction ally of Poroshenko.Īlso, ask Ksenia Pavlovska, a Rivne Oblast assemblywoman who’s exploring construction business opportunities in Kyiv as an ally of presidential hopeful Yulia Tymoshenko. ![]() How’s so? Well, ask our legendary Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko (aka “Dr. Soured by the latest defense procurement scandal, the consolation prize of President Petro Poroshenko’s half-baked reform presidency (call it “nonlethal war on corruption”) couldn’t be more bittersweet. But not without a heavy dose of Russian influence. ![]() As Ukraine unchains itself from Russia religiously, unholy alliances in business and politics thrive as normal, without much international attention.
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