Zelensky refuses to dismiss Tatarov

President Volodymyr Zelensky responded on July 6 to an
electronic petition requesting him to “immediately dismiss” Oleg Tatarov, the
odious deputy head of the presidential office. In the response, Zelensky
declined to take any actions, and gave no reasoning. The petition, initiated by
anti-corruption activist Vitaliy Shabunin, gathered over 25,000 votes, thus
obliging the president to react. “Zelensky shares Tatarov’s values,” Shabunin
commented the same day, “thus he sees no problem in Tatarov’s corruption
offences.”

Tatarov, who occupied a top position in the Internal
Affairs Ministry during the Yanukovych presidency, is known for his official
comments against the protesters of the Revolution of Dignity in early 2014. He is suspected of bribery by the
National Anti-Corruption Bureau, while an investigation against him is being sabotaged by
Prosecutor General’s office.

James Hydzik: Tatarov’s
case can be considered as a test for Zelensky’s tolerance to corruption.
Stepping aside and ensuring that an investigation into Tatarov’s possible
corrupt activities could have significantly improved relationships between the
Ukrainian government and the U.S. by implementing one of the five demands
voiced today by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. However, Zelensky has shown
repeatedly that even official comments (such as Tatarov’s) and intelligence
reports (such as MI-6’s regarding Yermak) have no effect. The reason for this
lies, depending on the analyst, in Zelensky’s feelings of loyalty, fear of
kompromat, or the simple enjoyment of power. However, Zelensky’s compact with
his voting base actually requires human (political) sacrifice – but one both
parties can understand.

Since Blinken won’t vote for Zelensky in the next
election, nor will much of the activist community,  there is simply no
need to expend the political capital required to remove an insider such as
Tatarov as it will not rally his base. If Shabunin is correct about Zelensky
and Tatarov sharing the same values, then Zelensky’s sympathies would only make
it harder to remove him, though both men would understand removing him to
maintain power.