Zelenskyy's constant minister changes: 'Political jealousy' fuels dangerous trend

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's frequent reshuffling of Ukraine's leadership is creating a dangerous trend, according to expert Ryhor Nizhnikau. Nizhnikau, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), suggests Zelenskyy exhibits "political jealousy," becoming nervous when others gain popularity and potentially eliminating them as rivals.

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Zelenskyj becomes politically jealous, so to speak. Then he wants to eliminate every potential challenger, and I emphasize potential, because Fedorov has been a solid Zelenskyy loyalist.

This pattern was evident when Mykhailo Fedorov, credited with recent war successes, was removed as defense minister. His short tenure and subsequent removal sparked significant protests, with many unable to understand the decision. Fedorov had only been appointed in January, following Denys Shmyhal, who also served a brief six-month term as defense minister.

Nizhnikau believes these personnel changes will likely continue, regardless of an individual's performance. He points to a past incident where Zelenskyy backed down after public protests regarding attempts to limit anti-corruption bodies. However, Nizhnikau observes that Zelenskyy is now standing firm, even with Fedorov's removal, despite larger public demonstrations this time.

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So these reorganizations will likely continue, regardless of how good someone is at their job?

In a related move, Zelenskyy dismissed Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, whose rivalry with Fedorov reportedly triggered the latest power struggle. Syrskyi was replaced by Mykhailo Drapatyj, who is seen as more aligned with Fedorov's approach to modern warfare, emphasizing drone units with significant field autonomy.

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Yes, we can definitely say that is the most likely. But Nizhnikau sees a dangerous trend, if the president cares less and less about the reactions each time.

Nizhnikau concludes that Zelenskyy appears to be thinking in electoral terms, viewing other powerful figures as potential challengers in future elections, even though elections cannot be held during wartime. He notes that, perhaps for the first time in his political career, Zelenskyy might be disregarding the most crucial demands from the public and society.

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Remember last year, in the Nabu affair, when the public protested, he let it go and moved on.