Kudrytskyi's dismissal was decried by many in the energy industry and also prompted alarm in Brussels.

 

At the time, Kudrytskyi told POLITICO he was the victim of the relentless centralization of authority that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his powerful head of office Andriy Yermak often pursue.

 

He said he feared "corrupt individuals" would end up taking over the state-owned company.

 

According to his supporters, it is that kind of talk - and his refusal to remain silent - that explains why Kudrytskyi ended up in a glass-enclosed cubicle in a downtown Kyiv courtroom last week, where he was arraigned on embezzlement charges.

 

Now, opposition lawmakers and civil society activists are up in arms, labeling this yet another example of Ukraine's leadership using lawfare to intimidate opponents and silence critics by accusing them of corruption or of collaboration with Russia.

 

Zelenskyy's office declined to comment...

 

Others who have received the same treatment include Zelenskyy's predecessor in office, Petro Poroshenko, who was sanctioned and arraigned on corruption charges this year - a move that could prevent him from standing in a future election.

 

Sanctions have frequently been threatened or used against opponents, effectively freezing assets and blocking the sanctioned person from conducting any financial transactions, including using credit cards or accessing bank accounts.

 

Poroshenko has since,

accused Zelenskyy of creeping "authoritarianism," and seeking to "remove any competitor from the political landscape."

That may also explain why Kudrytskyi has been arraigned, according to opposition lawmaker Mykola Knyazhitskiy, who believes the use of lawfare to discredit opponents is only going to get worse as the presidential office prepares for a possible election next year in the event there's a ceasefire.

 

They are using the courts "to clear the field of competitors" to shape a dishonest election, he fears.

 

Others, including prominent Ukrainian activist and head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center Daria Kaleniuk, argue the president and his coterie are using the war to monopolize power to such a degree that it threatens the country's democracy.

But for former Deputy Prime Minister Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, the case,

"doesn't look good from any angle - either domestically or when it comes to international partners."

The timing, she said, is unhelpful for Ukraine, as it coincides with Kyiv's ongoing appeal for more European energy assistance ahead of what's likely to be the war's most perilous winter.

 

With Russia mounting missile and drone strikes on a far larger scale than before, Ukraine's energy challenge is likely to be even more formidable.

 

And unlike previous winters, Russia's attacks have been targeting Ukraine's drilling, storage and distribution facilities for natural gas in addition to its electrical power grid.

 

Sixty percent of Ukrainians currently rely on natural gas to keep their homes warm.

 

Some Ukrainian energy executives also fear Kudrytskyi's prosecution may be part of a preemptive scapegoating tactic to shift blame in the event that the country's energy system can no longer withstand Russian attacks.

 

Citing unnamed sources, two weeks ago Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported that former energy executives fear they are being lined up to be faulted for failing to do enough to boost the energy infrastructure's resilience and harden facilities.

"They need a scapegoat now," a foreign policy expert who has counseled the Ukrainian government told POLITICO.

 

"There are parts of Ukraine that probably won't have any electricity until the spring. It's already 10 degrees Celsius in Kyiv apartments now, and the city could well have extended blackouts.

 

People are already pissed off about this, so the president's office needs scapegoats," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter freely.

 

"The opposition is going to accuse Zelenskyy of failing Ukraine, and argue he should have already had contingencies to prevent prolonged blackouts or a big freeze, they will argue," he added.

Senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of "Battleground Ukraine" Adrian Karatnycky also worries about the direction of political travel.

"While he's an inspirational and brave wartime leader, there are, indeed, worrying elements to Zelenskyy's rule," he said.

 

 

 

Additional Information

• Politics in Wartime... Ukraine-style - 'Election jockeying' is well underway in Kyiv, even with the timing unknown as Russian bombs fall  (also HERE)