Latest business-related shooting occurs as petition demands Avakov dismissal

Odesa’s Seventh
Kilometer market became the scene of the latest business-related shooting in
Ukraine on June 2 at which two victims were wounded, the National Police said
on its Facebook page that day. Men in masks fired rubber bullets at a textile
store at the market, beat up its employees with bats, broke the windows and
fled in two vans. The conflict was over parking spaces. The same day, Internal
Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov announced 13 more arrests of suspects involved in
the May 29 shootout in suburban Kyiv between rival passenger bus transporters.
The were named suspects in charges of attempted murder and banditry. About 20
suspects were arrested in the following days.

About 40 MPs in
Ukraine’s parliament signed a petition demanding Avakov’s dismissal, a campaign
led by the neoliberal Voice faction. One-hundred fifty signatures are needed
for it to be put to a vote. Besides the recent shootings, they cited the
reported May 23 beating and rape of a woman in the district police station of a
Kyiv region town, as well as the promotion of a police officer, alleged to have
joined the pro-Russian demonstration in Odesa in May 2014, to head the
Vinnytsia regional force. “This person wasn’t imprisoned, but promoted. That’s
unacceptable,” said MP Oleksandra Ustinova of the Voice party.

Zenon Zawada: The latest shootout confirms that
Ukrainians have little faith in the decrepit courts and believe it’s more
effective to take matters into their own hands, even with the possible
consequences. It’s widely accepted that many court rulings can be expediently
arranged for the necessary amount of money, which is why so many prefer violence
to resolve their business issues.

Most Ukrainians
would agree that it’s time for Avakov to leave as the nation’s police chief,
having built himself a lengthy resume of alleged corruption – and some
achievements – for the last six years. But Avakov is a masterful politician,
which is why he’s been able to remain in his post for so long. People’s Servant
MP Yehen Shevchenko alleged from the tribune on June 2 that “almost all” of his
faction’s MPs support Avakov’s dismissal, but we find that claim to be dubious.
At least 20 of its MPs are loyal to magnate Ihor Kolomoisky, who has a tight
political alliance with Avakov.

We expect Avakov
will survive this latest attempt to oust him. And although he certainly has his
fair share of corruption scandals, we’re not convinced that there’s anyone who
could do a better job in managing Ukraine’s enormous national police force,
which is just as reviled for the public for its alleged corruption. But Avakov
is a solid target for the Voice party, which has lost much of its support, to
score some political points.