Natylie Baldwin at The Grayzone discussed with Ukrainian academic Olga Baysha the background of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s April 21, 2019 election and the policies of his presidency, in “The Real Zelensky: From Celebrity Populist to Unpopular Pinochet-Style Neoliberal.” (https://thegrayzone.com/2022/04/28/zelensky-celebrity-populist-pinochet-neoliberal/)
Zelenskyy was elected with 73% of the vote on a platform of peace and progress — a platform essentially presented for years through the 51 episodes of the TV series in which he starred.
Baysha explained that despite vague promises of peace and development (his official platform was only 1,601 words long), Zelenskyy’s actual administration has served as “a parliamentary machine to churn out and rubber-stamp neoliberal reforms,” Baysha explains. Privatization of land and public property, a deregulation of labor, a reduction in the power of labor unions, and increases in utility rates have characterized his administration.
These policies were those called for by the international neoliberal order, and had been carried out directly by foreigners ever since the Maidan. In 2014, a U.S. citizen was appointed Ukraine’s Minister of Finance. A Lithuanian became the Minister of Economy and Trade. A citizen of Georgia became the minister of healthcare. In 2016, a U.S. citizen was appointed Acting Minister of Healthcare. This direct international control over the administration of the state was new with the Maidan.
Zelenskyy began cracking down on democracy and free expression well in advance of the Russian military operation that began in February 2022. In February of the preceding year, Zelenskyy shut down three television channels — News One, Zik, and 112 Ukraine. Another channel, Nash, was closed in the beginning of 2022, before the war began. After Russia began its operation, dozens of journalists have been arrested, additional TV channels have been closed, and stations are obliged to present the official perspective of the Ukrainian government.
Already in 2021, Zelenskyy had used the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to shut down political opponents. In February 2021, members of the party Opposition Platform—For Life, including Victor Medvedchuk, were charged. In March 2022, eleven opposition parties were banned.
