Victor Yanukovych's entourage seizing legislative, executive and judicial power in Ukraine (2010 – early 2011)

The article describes the President Yanukovych and his entourage’s actions taken to establish control over the key branches of power in Ukraine. The role of the Donetsk clan’s particular representatives, mainly Andrii Kliuev and SerhiiLyovochkin, in implementing the authority concentration schemes, is explored. The context of building up the floor-crossers coalition (officially named “Stability and Reforms”) in 2010 is highlighted. The reasons for Donetsk clan choosing the non-constitutional way of seizing control over the Parliament are explained, such as: rate of action, low price of deputies’ engagement, keeping up the ideological confrontation façade with Julia Tymoshenko’s Bloc and «Our Ukraine — People’s Self-Defence» parliamentary alliance. Mykola Azarov’s cabinet (named March 11, 2010) is analyzed, with specific influential groups identified within its composition, such as Mykola Azarov’s, Andrii Kliuev’s, Rinat Akhmetov’s, Dmytro Firtash’s and Victor Yanykovych’s clientele. The quotas of Litvin’s Block, Ukraine’s Communist Party and Russian lobbies have been distinguished. The responsible assignments in security ministries data has been generalized. The fact that Victor Yanukovych’s entourage had established full actual control over top officials of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine in the eve of the Presidential Elections 2010 decisive second ballot is emphasized. The Prosecutor General’s Office, Security Service, Foreign Intelligence, Border Police and National Security and Defense Council’s governing authorities personnel has been analyzed. Specific attention has been paid to AndriiPortnov’s role in implementing the judicial reform aimed at depriving the Ukrainian judiciary of any independence, with the Presidential Office, namely Andrii Portnov, gaining the decisive impact over its activities and preserving but formal procedures and formulas from the relatively autonomous judiciary built under Victor Yushchenko. The facts of placing pressure upon the judges voicing dissent over the reform have been revealed.

Source: Denysenko V.I. (2020) Victor Yanukovych’s entourage seizing legislative, executive and judicial power in Ukraine (2010 – early 2011). Sumy historical and archival journal. №XXXV: 42-53

Source web-site: https://shaj.sumdu.edu.ua/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/6.pdf