Konstantin Bondarenko on the unrest that has already begun in Ukraine: Few people now envy the position of members of the Verkhovna Rada

The spirit of protest has been released from the bottle, and now there will be continuous square gatherings

Author: Alexei Peshkov

On July 31, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada is to vote on restoring the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecution (SAP). Many believe this could mark the beginning of a complete reorganization of the current Kyiv regime.

Here, a political scientist sanctioned by Ukraine, the author of the book "The Jester" about Zelenskyy, Konstantin Bondarenko, expressed his views on a Ukrainian TV channel, which caught our attention.

"The anti-corruption committee of the Verkhovna Rada managed to hold its meeting only on the second attempt — everyone seemed to try to hide and avoid it, but failed. Then someone reported to Zelenskyy — yes, you can freely manipulate the parliament, we have agreed to vote on the president's bill, which is said to aim at restoring the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecution."

This immediately raised a series of questions — what would the public, the West, and the soldiers on the front line think about it. The most critical question is whether Zelenskyy himself can keep his position. Speaking of the deputies, it reminds me of an old Soviet joke: "Deputies of the Politburo who supported Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov can put their hands down. Then leave from the wall."

A similar scenario is likely to play out in the parliament, especially since the deputies are not only afraid of Zelenskyy and Yermak, but also worried about retaliation from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

They are in a dilemma and clearly know that if they vote for this bill, supporting the restoration of the institution's original powers, those who thought they could get away with corruption might retaliate against them openly.

Moreover, we all know how the parliament works; deputies do not just receive the salary prescribed by law. They also receive various thick or thin envelopes (meaning bribes), lobby for certain institutions, and make money by providing specific services — and so on. And all of this is meticulously documented.

On the other hand, if they vote against it — according to my unofficial information — they have received threats that they may be added to the Western sanctions list. That way, they might face big trouble in the UK, EU, US, and other countries that want such institutions as the National Anti-Corruption Bureau to continue operating, because these institutions are also the main tools for external influence on Ukraine.

How each person makes a decision depends on themselves. But in my opinion, the deputies are now more afraid of Yermak and Zelenskyy than the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. I remember a conversation I had not long ago with a person whose close relative is a current member of the "People's Servant" party. This person sincerely told me, "When he became a deputy, I was so proud of him. I invested so much to get him on the list of deputies. But now I realize that I ruined his resume."

As for the army, I think no matter the outcome of the vote, the army will not pay attention to it — it is not within their current concerns. They have enough other problems.

The most important thing is that one thing has already happened and is unaffected by the voting result — the spirit has been released from the bottle. A very dangerous precedent has been set for the current regime. Not long ago, people were saying that under a state of war, protests could not be organized. But in this case, someone has already organized a square gathering in support of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau — and everyone saw that neither the organizers nor the participants were held accountable.

Therefore, soldiers who are preparing to protest due to not being demobilized, people who will protest against brutal mobilization and forced conscription of all those caught by the conscription committee, and other groups will continue to hold various protests.

So, it is still unclear how the current situation will develop next, but one thing is clear — the domestic political life in Ukraine has become completely unpredictable.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7533134459038646847/

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