,
10 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
Now it is time to take a closer look at those who have Zelensky's ear. There are four main groups of people hanging around him and trying to influence his way of thinking [THREAD]
First group - technocrats, people with governance experience, briefing Zelensky mainly on economic & anti-corruption affairs. They truly hope Zelensky, if elected, will show a good track record of listening to advisors. So far he has been open to advice, but learning very slowly
Second group - opportunists and 'political technologists' with huge political ambitions. They have been less visible to the public than technocrats, but are more influential. At least one person with a potential to become next 'grey cardinal' in Ukrainian politics
Third group - "keystones of the system", people with a long record of corrupt political and business deals, very influential, with vast resources, trying to secure a proper place for themselves in the event of Zelensky's electoral triumph
Fourth group - friends from Kvartal95 and 'comedy industry'. These are the most influential persons in Zelensky's surroundings. Their position, which may be further strengthened over time, stem from the fact that Zelensky is very distrustful of people
If Zelensky is elected, then of key importance will be which one of these groups will gain the most influence over him. My bet is on friends & polittechnologists, but corruptioners will not give up easily
That brings me to the question of Zelensky-Kolomoysky relationship. Oligarch's media empire has been promoting Zelensky in full swing. Kolomoysky's trusted people have been working close with Zelensky, and some of them are even his personal friends
Nevertheless, the nature of Zelensky-Kolomoysky ties is difficult to grasp in detail. If Zelensky incurred a debt (not necessarily in financial terms), which needs to be paid back to Kolomoysky after the elections, this would weigh heavily on his decision-making as president
According to the interim financial report submitted by Zelensky's team to CEC, among contributions to Zelensky's election fund were those made by people close to Andriy Bohdan, Andriy Portnov & Pavlo Fuks. Keep an eye on those three, too
Whether Zelensky is serious or not about bringing new faces to politics, we will see when he presents his party's list for the parliamentary elections. For oligarchs, it is the situation in the Rada that matters in the first place, so look for Kolomoysky's people on that list
