EuroMaidan activists in Lviv evict unpopular newly appointed prosecutor

The armed forces of the EuroMaidan, the Right Sector of nationalist forces and Afghanistan war veterans, physically evicted the newly appointed Lviv prosecutor, Volodymyr Hural, from his presentation ceremony on March 7. In justifying the eviction, Ihor Kotsiuruba, the Right Sector leader of Lviv, cited Hural’s well-known and extensive history of corruption. Hural “had the nickname ‘Desiatka’ (Ten Note), because everyone knew that approaching him to resolve any issue could only be done having in hand no less than 10,000 greenbacks,” Kotsiuruba said. Hural drove away after his eviction onto the street. Ihor Shepa, the leader of the Afghan veterans, said the government is failing to uphold its promises of lustration and demanded that local authorities clear all nominations to law enforcement organs with the EuroMaidan leaders.

Zenon Zawada: This event is a mere foreshadowing of the future conflicts that are likely to plague Ukrainian politics. The interim government is loaded with establishment politicians with a history of corruption that are highly disliked by the EuroMaidan. The new president to be elected in May is also likely to resort to corrupt establishment types. We expect political instability even after the May elections, which unfortunately plays into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The new government ought to take the concerns of the EuroMaidan seriously if it plans to succeed in escaping Russia’s sphere of influence.