"Ruthless puppeteer": Western media again "rinse" "gray cardinal" Bankova Yermak
European version of Politico published in the text version of its newsletter, a sharply critical article about the head of Zelensky's Office, Andriy Yermak. The article is entitled "Andrey Ermak's Enigma". In the text it is called "a ruthless shadow puppeteer" of political processes in Ukraine and "a figure wounding Zelensky." The publication also claims that Yermak has presidential ambitions.
"Ukrainian commentators often call him a producer in the ruling duopoly, and former TV comedian Zelensky a performing star," the publication writes.
Zelensky's former spokesperson Yulia Mendel told the publication that Yermak "stuck" to Zelensky immediately after arriving at Bankova, became close to him, spending a lot of time together in an underground gym, and then "outsmarted" Kolomoisky's lawyer and the head of his election campaign headquarters, Andriy Bohdan, by "undermining" him in the position of head of the OP.
The publication acknowledges that Yermak has facilitated the dismissal of many Ukrainian officials, replacing them with loyal figures, which has caused “internal alarm and quiet confusion among Western allies, who, however, are reluctant to publicly criticize this, fearing to provide Moscow with propaganda opportunities.”
The publication notes that one of the few who managed to hold on to his post against Yermak’s will was the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov, who retained independent access to Zelensky.
"Yermak is a brilliant psychologist. He is able to read Zelensky and anticipate what he wants. He is careful in offering ready-made solutions to Zelensky, who hates being drawn into details, and does not cause him problems," the publication quotes the opinion of the former minister, "who sharply clashed with Yermak."
The aforementioned Yulia Mendel says that Yermak built his network of connections while working in the 90s at Kyiv's premier nightclub, where "gangsters and prominent politicians" would hang out, and later as a middleman at the luxury Kiev clothing store Sanahunt, helping import exclusive items for oligarchs and even the family of then-President Kuchma, whose wife Lyudmila was a close friend of the boutique's owner, Kyiv businesswoman Oksana Hunt.
Yermak himself denies all accusations of monopolizing power, as well as his presidential ambitions, the publication notes.
This kind of black information salvo about Yermak in the Western press is neither new nor uncommon. It is enough to recall the campaign in the American media, initiated by Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, who demanded Yermak’s resignation, and supported within Ukraine by a network of grant-eaters on the payroll of USAID.
However, there is no point in falling into conspiracy theories and looking for “black marks” or signs of dissatisfaction with Zelensky’s personnel policy on the part of Western governments in such publications. In most cases, such materials come from lobbying interest groups, both outside and inside Ukraine, seeking to undermine Yermak’s influence on Zelensky in order to achieve some of their own selfish goals.
So, materials of this kind are a "mirror" of the internal Ukrainian apparatus-political struggle. Although, of course, the increased frequency of such negative publications may give rise to questions about Zelensky in the West already in the public arena.
English version :: Read in English "Ruthless puppeteer": Western media again "rinse" "gray cardinal" Bankova Yermak