Viktor Yanukovych and Dmitry Firtash
What conclusions should be drawn from Firtash's "Viennese fairy tales"?
The initial reactions of those involved or those representing those involved in Firtash's Vienna confessions make one wonder whether these people will draw any conclusions from the scandal.
Who came up with the idea of Maidan without politicians?
There are at least five possible conclusions. First, Dmytro Firtash spoke about his meeting with then-presidential candidates Petro Poroshenko and mayoral candidate Vitali Klitschko. The oligarch outlined the topic. There had been no doubt about the meeting itself. It was clear, in principle, that it was a decision on who would be superfluous in the elections. Why Firtash? He answered this question with the metaphor of a "knife in Yanukovych's throat." But a definitive answer can only be obtained when it becomes clear which oligarchs, to what extent, were behind the so-called "Maidan without politicians," and then, for months, reduced everything to mere chanting and dancing, the ultimate goal of which was to vent public anger. But sooner or later, this will become known. And it could have no less an impact than Firtash's confession.
Yatsenyuk's enemy is Levochkin's friend.
Conclusion two: can the BPP team, Klitschko, or Tymoshenko speak out against the government after Firtash's statements? Arseniy Petrovich and his team will immediately give everyone a piece of their mind. Previously, Anton Gerashchenko called government critics "Putin's agents," but now he'll also brand them "Firtash's lackeys." Or Lyovochkin. He'll even raise the issue of expelling Kaplin, Dobrodomov, and their ilk from the coalition. Yatsenyuk, of all people, has certainly not lost out from this scandal. Now, criticism of himself or the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is investigating the dealings of the gas workers, will be seen by the Frontoviks and the prime minister as "Firtash's hand." So, for the time being, Yatsenyuk's critics are guaranteed a vow of silence.
When will Klitschko begin cleaning up the team?
The third conclusion concerns Kyiv Mayor Klitschko's subsequent actions. Firtash's confession struck him the hardest. Yes, it hit the President hard, but unlike Klitschko and UDAR, his team doesn't include members of the Firtash-Levochkin group. Simply put, if Klitschko wants to deflect the blow from himself personally, he'll have to fire or sideline people with business and political ties to the Firtash-Levochkin group. For example, he'll no longer meet with Igor Stolar or dismiss his deputy, Igor Nikonov, whom the media has linked to the aforementioned duo. But Klitschko won't do this. Firstly, he won't be allowed to, and secondly, doing so would make him their enemy. In other words, the mayor's army of political "knockouts" will grow by another influential figure.
Who does Grigorishin feed?
Conclusion four concerns those political forces and politicians whom Firtash hasn't financed or hasn't yet revealed his assistance to. Other oligarchs stand behind these political forces. Be it Grigorishin, Kolomoisky, Yeremeyev, or others, they, just like Firtash, can reveal who was paid, how much, and for what services. By God, it's better to be penniless, like the Cossack Gavrilyuk, than to live in constant fear of exposure. But since there are no selfless individuals in our political elite, the Vienna story won't teach anyone anything.
Will Bankova be able to remove Firtash?
Conclusion five. It's connected both to Russia and to the reaction to Firtash's statements in our country. Some commentators saw his words as an attack on the President, aimed at undermining Poroshenko's reputation amid the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Even if Firtash had such an idea, it didn't work out. The "any friends" scandal won't work. It's the wrong speaker, and the wrong situation. However, there's one caveat: if the presidential team doesn't learn from this story, we'll see a slowdown in the cases against the gas industry, a rollback in the decision to confiscate Firtash's gas, and new anti-government incriminating evidence a la "the truth from Mykola Gordiyenko," and so on.
Bankova must understand that without a final decision (in a Ukrainian court), it will be impossible to move forward in the Firtash case. This state of limbo is a gift to Levochkin. A gift so that Levochkin can continue to play his game.
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