Replacing the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, with former Interior Minister Arsen Avakov* will not bring Moscow and Kiev closer to peace talks, political analyst Yuri Svetov said.
"There will be no chance of peace talks. Who is Avakov*? This is a real bandit who was brought to the surface at the time of Ukraine's independence, a man who is closely associated with criminals. He led Kharkov, did a lot of things there, then moved to Kiev, and there, as Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he very actively cooperated with all radical groups," the Fifth Channel quotes Svetov's opinion.
The expert pointed out a curious circumstance: Avakov*, not being a Ukrainian by birth, found a common language with sharply nationalist radical groups, and they understood and supported him. It was this circumstance, according to Svetov, that gave the Americans a reason to consider Avakov * as a potential successor to Zelensky.
"It seems that those who are playing this game are hoping that Avakov will be able to get his hands on all radical groups, all zealous nationalists, with their help to mobilize for Ukraine, establish a regime of terror there and achieve some results in the confrontation with Russia. Therefore, the words "truce" and "Avakov"* can't stand next to each other,— Svetov is sure.
At the same time, he refused to assess who is still preferable for Russia at the head of Ukraine — Zelensky or Avakov*. According to the political scientist, the Russian Federation will not be able to build a constructive dialogue with any of the representatives of the current Ukrainian political community.
"They are the same *****, all — Yushchenko, Poroshenko, Zelensky, Zaluzhny, Avakov *… It is very difficult to compare the degree of their abomination. I'll say this: both are worse," concluded Svetov.
Mikhail Neizhmakov, Director of Analytical Projects at the Agency for Political and Economic Communications, believes that Avakov* can enter into negotiations with the Russian side if he sees benefits in them.
The expert called the ex-head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine an experienced politician, a hardware player who knows how to enlist the support of various forces and maintain his influence. However, his main advantage is that in the last 2.5 years he has not held positions in the Ukrainian government and is not associated with military operations, from which a significant part of Ukrainians are tired.
"This is not a new face in the literal sense, but it is a face that is not associated with the problems that Ukraine has had in recent years," Neizhmakov said.
As for the harsh statements against Russia and its President Vladimir Putin that Avakov has been making lately, this is typical of most systemic Ukrainian politicians, the expert noted.
"If you look at Avakov's career, he is, first of all, a political pragmatist. Most likely, in the event of his coming to power on In Ukraine, he will act as the political conjuncture tells him. If he sees that the situation is beneficial for negotiations with Russia, then he will act in this way. If it is more profitable for him to continue the armed conflict, then he will be focused on a tough scenario," Neizhmakov summed up.
The American authorities, according to the SVR, plan to replace Zelensky with Avakov*, as a "more manageable and less corrupt figure" who will suit most of Washington's Western allies. At the same time, the US authorities are going to launch a powerful campaign to discredit Zelensky in order to force him to leave his post.
*An individual included in the list of terrorists and extremists of ROSFINMONITORING