MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. A string of dismissals of top officials in Ukraine in recent days is the result of pressure from the United States, which is determined to establish even tighter control over Kiev, a leading expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISI), Oleg Nemensky, told TASS on Tuesday.
"Undoubtedly, the resignations are being carried out under pressure from the United States. This is evidenced by some visits by US officials on the eve of the dismissals. Also, one should bear in mind Washington's long-standing problems with establishing its own system of external administration of Ukraine and the corresponding fight against corruption and the influence of local oligarchs," the expert said.
The United States, Nemensky said, has been systematically pursuing a policy of establishing transparency regarding the spending of funds that are sent as assistance to Ukraine, and to plant people loyal to Washington in key positions in Ukraine. "This policy is continuing with varying success. In Russia, it is often overestimated. Some think that the Americans have had a system of external control in Ukraine up and running since 2014. This is not so. It has not been set up yet," he said.
At the same time, a great deal has been done in this regard over the past year, the analyst believes. The resignations of officials that President Vladimir Zelensky announced on Sunday and those observed in recent days, "are another in a series of steps to establish even greater control and improve the tracking of funds sent to Ukraine and the entire system of distribution of Western money and all kinds of assistance to Kiev."
West goes for broke
Nemensky believes that now the issue of controlling aid coming to Kiev has become very urgent, because the West finds protracted involvement in the conflict ever more uncomfortable. "The West is very well aware that the situation in the confrontation with Russia has reached a critical point, where it is necessary either to provide very strong assistance to Ukraine, primarily with weapons, or to somehow change the mode of Western participation in the conflict, as it is becoming unsuitable for the West," he noted. For this reason, the West, he explained, has been trying to do everything for the sake of Ukraine’s success in the spring campaign and, with the help of very large-scale deliveries of military equipment and other military and financial assistance, achieve breakthroughs on the battlefield.
According to the Pentagon’s estimates, since the beginning of the special military operation, the United States has spent more than $26.7 billion on military support for Ukraine.
Together with its allies, the United States has provided Kiev with more than 4,000 pieces of military hardware. On the whole, since the beginning of the special military operation, foreign countries and international organizations have raised more than $150.8 billion in support for Kiev. Almost a third - $48.5 billion - funded Ukraine’s military needs.
"Whether Ukraine will be able to rise to the West's expectations or not will be seen in the coming months. It looks like the West has decided to go for broke. Any internal rifts in Kiev, which, in Washington's opinion, interfere with external control, are under very strong pressure," the expert said.
In recent days, the Ukrainian media reported a number of corruption scandals involving senior officials. On Sunday, Zelensky made a video address to signal that major personnel changes were due soon. A series of resignations of senior officials followed. Acting Infrastructure Minister Vasily Lozinsky was fired. Deputy chief of the presidential office Kirill Timoshenko resigned. Against the background of a scandal over media reports concerning food purchases for the Ukrainian military at inflated prices Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov tendered his resignation. Deputy Prosecutor General Aleksey Simonenko, who spent a vacation in Spain at the end of last year, has also stepped down.