Taras Dumenko – A Tough Philosopher: What's Known About the New Head of Gostomel
The more than three-month-long conflict between the leadership and residents of the Gostomel village community has ended. Taras Dumenko has finally been dismissed from his post as head of the military administration. Lieutenant General Sergei Borisyuk has been appointed to lead the community instead. However, locals don't have high hopes for the military man, writes KyivVlast.
As it became known to KV, on July 28, the deputy chairman of the Kyiv OV Mykola Boyko presented the new head of the Gostomel SVA, Sergei Borisyuk, to the team.
"Sergey Lvovich is a military man with extensive experience, which will undoubtedly be useful. He must understand that his appointment to this position is a rigorous test and a tremendous responsibility for the people, for upholding the law in this area, the work of government agencies, and the restoration of society as a whole," Boyko commented on the appointment.
Moreover, during a meeting with the team, Borisyuk promised to quickly form an effective team that would work exclusively for the community and its people.
"I realize there's no time to waste. The results are what matter now. What the Gostomel community will be like tomorrow depends on us," he said.
Community activists, who were the main organizers of public protests and critics of the previous leadership, are also placing their hopes on the new military leader.
Former Verkhovna Rada member of the 8th convocation, now chairman of the "We Have the Right!" public organization and advisor to the Commander of the Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vitaliy Kupriy, noted on his Facebook page that he has already sent an appeal to the new head of the military administration regarding the community's concerns and how he and his associates can assist the new leader in addressing the community's key issues.
"Little is known about Mr. Sergey. Specifically, he served in the Ministry of Defense, heading the personnel department. My sources in the military say his management style is 'tough.' I've encountered this type of military commander and have experience working with him," he noted.
Specifically, residents insist on an inspection of all buildings damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian military aggression, the drafting and approval of a 2022 budget, and its implementation. They also insist on an audit of all municipal property and utilities, and the resolution of waste disposal issues.
They are asking the new leader to develop a plan to protect lives during potential bombings, ensure the proper maintenance of social institutions, and thus their residents, with fuel, electricity, gas, and other energy resources. They are also asking for the transparent operation of the SVA, with open access to the council's documents.
Pictured: An appeal from Gostomel residents regarding anti-crisis measures that the head of the State Emergency Service is authorized to address.
Taras Dumenko. A New Face
Little is known about the new head of the Gostomel SVA. Specifically, Borisyuk holds the rank of lieutenant general and formerly served as director of the Personnel Policy Department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. He holds a PhD in philosophy and is an associate professor.
Prior to this, in 2012, by decree of the now former President of Ukraine Yanukovych, Colonel Borisyuk, at that time still the director of the Department of Personnel Policy of the Ministry of Defense, was awarded the military rank of major general.
According to PolitHub data from the Chestno portal, a candidate with the same name ran for the Zhytomyr City Council of the fourth convocation in the 43rd Marozhirsky constituency in 2002. And according to the YouControl analytics system, a person with the same name as Borosyuk managed a Kyiv-based company producing prepared feed for animals kept on the Podillya LLC farms from 2008 to 2013.
In 2015, a military monograph co-authored with Borisyuk, "Evolutionary Optimization Methods and Their Use in Military Research," was published in Zhytomyr. Earlier, in 1998, he wrote a dissertation on "The Dynamics of the Social Structure of Ukrainian Society in Modern Conditions" (T. Shevchenko Kyiv University).
In particular, the fact that he has an academic degree was also noted in his message by former Verkhovna Rada deputy and chairman of the NGO "We Have the Right!" Kupriy:
"...Sergey Borisyuk wrote a dissertation for the degree of candidate of philosophical sciences […] The results of his research were tested on soldiers and officers in Zhitomir. Brief quotes from the dissertation:
1. Those who do not work and are not ready to support the “strict order” are marginal.
2. Society requires social balance.
3. The middle class has not yet formed; the majority are inert and incapable of economic independence.
4. The author of the dissertation considers himself a representative of the new political elite.
“I like the latter as a politician…”, Kupriy wrote.
However, community residents have reacted ambivalently to these biographical details about the new head of Gostomel. They are concerned that this representative of the new political elite will not become yet another pro-Soviet figure.
Residents are also concerned that a military officer won't be able to ultimately restore order in the community, as military personnel are unfamiliar with civilian life and local government governance, meaning they lack sufficient management experience. Currently, the community's main challenge is restoring homes, infrastructure, and attracting businesses.
Another group of Gostomel residents, on the contrary, is confident that a military man will finally be able to restore order not only in the community but also among the deputies, who have been accustomed to embezzling from the local budget for years.
A story with a scandal
As previously reported by KV, on July 27, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Taras Dumenko, head of the Gostomel village military administration, and appointed Serhiy Borysyuk in his place.
The change in military authority in Gostomel was preceded by a growing political crisis following the de-occupation of the territory and the reprimands issued to the now-ex-chief of the SVA, Taras Dumenko, by community representatives. Criticism of Dumenko's activities had been ongoing since the first days of his appointment.
Thus, in May 2022, residents of the hero city appealed to Zelenskyy to fire Dumenko. He was accused of sloppiness and a lack of desire to cleanse the city of the consequences of the occupation. The Gostomel leader himself denied the accusations, stating that now was definitely not the time for him to play politics.
Subsequently, in June, the Kyiv Regional Military District received another complaint against Dumenko, head of the Gostomel SVA. This time, Gostomel residents requested that the leader be disciplined for his inaction in searching for missing community property during the Muscovite occupation. They also requested that the matter be raised with the President of Ukraine.
By July, local discontent had already begun to mount and reached its peak. Residents were furious and alarmed, as their destroyed homes were still without power, gas, or water. They also complained of delays in restoring damaged and destroyed property, and of a lack of financial compensation.
Specifically, on July 17, at the village's community center, the now-former head of the local military administration, Taras Dumenko, reported on the progress of restoration work. However, the former leader ultimately received a reprimand from the community, and Zelenskyy is expected to receive a detailed account of all the ills that plague the long-suffering village of Gostomel in the coming days.
Translation by SkeletInfo
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