Ukrainian President Zelensky fired his closest assistant
FOA News – Ukrainian President Zelensky dismissed his closest assistant, Mr. Serhii Shefir, and a number of senior advisers on March 30.
Since the beginning of the year until now, the President of Ukraine has fired a series of senior officials to reshuffle the cabinet. (Photo: CNN)
The decision to fire a series of high-ranking officials in the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took place in the context of Kiev’s commitment to reforming the country’s political system. Assistant Shefir is Mr. Zelensky’s longtime friend and former business partner.
Mr. Shefir and Mr. Zelensky co-founded Kvartal 95 Studio, a television production company before both turned to participate in Ukrainian politics. Sherif is also one of the few officials in Mr. Zelensky’s administration from the first days.
Before the conflict broke out, Mr. Shefir was responsible for maintaining communication channels between the Office of the President and large businesses. He is said to have connections with tycoons, as well as influence over the national power plant Energoatom and the Odesa port plant.
In September 2021, Mr. Sherif was lucky to survive an assassination attempt when his car was attacked by unknown assailants. At the time, Ukraine’s leadership claimed the attack was carried out by domestic political opponents.
Previously on March 26, General Zelensky dismissed Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine ‘SNBO’ Oleksii Danilov, and appointed Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine – Oleksandr Lytvynenko as his replacement.
The above dismissals are part of a plan to reform Ukraine’s leadership launched by Mr. Zelensky earlier this year. Former Ukrainian Army Commander Valery Zaluzhny was the first official fired by Mr. Zelensky, replaced by General Aleksandr Syrsky. General Zaluzhny is rumored to have been at odds with the Ukrainian President for months after publicly raising concerns about the situation on the front lines late last year.
The reform took place in the context of the Ukrainian army facing many difficulties on the battlefield, partly due to a lack of ammunition due to a decrease in supplies from the West. In an interview published on March 29, Mr. Zelensky said that this country’s forces would have to retreat gradually and narrow the front line if the $60 billion aid package from the US continued to be delayed.
Source: VTC News
