Head of Zelenskyy's Office refuses to carry out "purges" in his new team

Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has rejected the idea of "staff purges" and has even persuaded some people who had been planning to resign not to do so.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda profile of Budanov

Quote: "Despite being very involved in the negotiation process, Budanov is still trying to delve into the essence of affairs in the Office he now has to lead. And his initial actions say a lot about what the President's Office will look like under its new head."

Details: Ukrainska Pravda reports that Budanov has first and foremost rejected the idea of staff "purges" in the President's Office. In particular, he has not dismissed Oleh Tatarov, who is known as an "overseer of the law enforcement system who is toxic for society", and also persuaded Iryna Mudra, who is responsible for the implementation of judicial reform in Ukraine and the creation of a special tribunal for Russia, to stay at the President's Office.

The authors of the article note that Mudra had been considering becoming Ukraine's ambassador to Israel or heading the Ministry of Justice.

"A 'primary' was even supposed to take place for the main candidates for the position – Mudra and Denys Maslov, chair of the parliamentary legal policy committee – at a meeting of the Servant of the People faction. But the day before, Budanov held a meeting with them in the President's Office. He asked Mudra to stay on as his deputy so as not to destabilise the Office," the authors write in the article.

Ukrainska Pravda sources close to Budanov also revealed that the first people to visit his study on the second floor of the President's Office to "renew the oath" were Viktor Mykyta and Iryna Vereshchuk. The third was Colonel Pavlo Palisa, who is responsible for liaising with the military. "However, this gesture does not seem to have significantly strengthened their positions in the Office," the authors of the article claim.

They say that while officially Mykyta is engaged in the selection of personnel for oblast administrations, "in fact he only manages the process".

"Often the last word remains with Tatarov, who has quite noticeably strengthened his influence after Yermak's resignation, Ukrainska Pravda sources in Parliament and the President's Office say. This was clearly visible in the latest regional appointments: two out of five new heads of Oblast Military Administrations are from Tatarov's 'personnel folder'."

Background:

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Kyrylo Budanov, the former head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, as head of the President's Office on 2 January.
• Budanov said when he accepted Zelenskyy's offer to head the President's Office that he considered it an honour.

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