Avakov gives first interview after resignation, calls government "phenomenally idiotic" and describes NSDC work as "swinishness"

In the Office of the President, Avakov's interview was called "post-resignation syndrome".

Ukrainian politician, long-time Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, gave his first interview after resigning. He harshly criticized the work of Volodymyr Zelensky's team, made jabs at the president himself, and made it clear that he is "returning to big politics", reports BBC.

Arsen Avakov, who headed the Interior Ministry since 2014 and retained influence under the last two presidents, resigned in July of this year.

He had no visible conflict with Zelensky's team. And Davyd Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada, even suggested that Avakov might return to the "servants".

For several months Avakov kept silent, until on November 4 he appeared on the program "Narod protiv" on oligarch Rinat Akhmetov's channel Ukraine 24.

Commentators note that sharp critical questions were not asked of the former politician.

The former minister admitted that he rested after his resignation, said that the "load was lifted off his shoulders" and that instead of morning briefings on work, he now watches clips by singer Tina Karol.

He also spoke for the first time about the reasons for his resignation and his plans for the future.

The Office of the President has already called Avakov's statements "post-resignation syndrome".

"Too strong and independent": Avakov on his resignation

Avakov said he was invited to the president's team as a "professional expert". But he admitted that in the last months before his resignation he "felt a certain discomfort" and "could not realize himself further".

Arsen Avakov
former Interior Minister of Ukraine

I do not want to take part in some things I disagree with. I am not an easy person to deal with when it comes to competent, professional matters. I know how to say "no". Not everyone likes that.

"At some point we sat down and spoke openly with the president. I told him: 'It was 73% who voted for you, the responsibility is on you,' Avakov said. 'It's right for me to resign, and for you to try to find other solutions'.

Later in the conversation Avakov became increasingly sharp. He stated that he was "too strong and independent" for the current authorities, and made it clear that the conflict situation in the 87th constituency in Ivano-Frankivsk region, where the Servant of the People candidate and strongman Vasyl Virastyuk won, played no small role in his resignation.

Arsen Avakov

This showed up in a certain conflict during the elections in Ivano-Frankivsk region, where, in my opinion, there were certain violations, and we had to react to them in a certain way. And the leadership of the Servant of the People party, perhaps, thought that elections were ahead and we could not do this. So we admit that the team is strong and the people there are strong, but do we need that? We need unquestioning executors

Avakov called his successor as Interior Minister, Denys Monastyrskyi, an "intelligent and decent person", but added that a minister cannot be a "minister of whatever you want" and must say a "firm no".

"Phenomenal idiocy" and "flagrant incompetence"

Over the course of the conversation Avakov increasingly harshly criticized former colleagues, including the government, the Office of the President and Zelensky himself.

In particular, the former minister stated that the government should work professionally and be responsible for the executive branch, but now "the entire executive power is concentrated in the Office of the President".

"There is no balance at all, this is a gigantic problem", Avakov said.

In particular, he said he was categorically against dismissing Andriy Kobolev as head of Naftogaz, calling it a "fundamental mistake".

The former minister acknowledged that after two years in office Zelensky has become more competent, but still cannot know everything. He criticized the president's personnel policy, constant changes in the government, budget spending and energy policy.

Arsen Avakov

All this leads to flagrant incompetence. This is phenomenal, fundamental idiocy. They come into the president's office, and he says: I propose such-and-such. They say: "Brilliant! This is genius, Mr. President! A billion trees? Bravo!" If some malicious Avakov were sitting there, he would say: "What billion? Have you lost your minds?" And there are no longer those who say "you've lost your minds". There is no such discussion, and this is a gigantic problem.

"Choose adequate deputies"

Avakov also recalled the scandalous traffic accident in Kyiv, in which six people were injured, including two children.

Initially it was reported that it was committed by Servant of the People deputy Oleksandr Trukhin, then the information disappeared from some media outlets, and Trukhin himself assured that he was not the one behind the wheel.

As for the question about Trukhin, Volodymyr Zelensky answered that "no one died".

Law enforcement has not answered the question of whether the deputy was behind the wheel for more than a month. Avakov stated that under him there was "no accident like Trukhin's".

Arsen Avakov

When I was told why police were specifically stopping Servant of the People deputies, I said: because that is their job. You should think about how to select deputies so that they are adequate.

NSDC "on the hype"

Separately, Avakov criticized the work of the National Security and Defense Council under Zelensky. Over the last year, resonant decisions, such as imposing sanctions on individuals, were regularly passed through the NSDC.

Arsen Avakov

The NSDC cannot be an executive body or, even less, a judicial body that appoints the guilty... when the NSDC turned into hype, into a place for stamping out sanctions, that was unacceptable. I did not want to take part in this.

Avakov said that NSDC members did not know the names of those on the new sanctions lists until the very last moment. Allegedly, five minutes before the meeting they were "handed a folder".

Arsen Avakov

As an NSDC member with ten years of experience, I did not receive materials. I told Danilov (NSDC secretary — ed.): this is swinishness, in general. These names are not in my folder. And he said: they didn't have time to copy them. This is a gigantic problem, this is an oversimplification of the situation. Sanctions cannot be imposed against citizens of Ukraine.

The only case where such a policy could be justified, Avakov said, was the sanctions against Opposition Platform — For Life MP Viktor Medvedchuk.

"What if Putin died and we were not ready"

Arsen Avakov also readily commented on foreign policy issues, in particular regarding Ukraine and Russia.

He said he does not believe that Russia is truly interested in reaching an agreement with Ukraine and settling the situation in Donbas. Therefore, the military scenario for resolving the conflict, in his view, cannot be ruled out.

Arsen Avakov

We must be ready if some events happen, what if Putin died and we were not ready, what if some chain of events in Russia happens that would help us use pressure to take back our territories, and we are not ready. Such things must be discussed and put in a folder. Let the military do their work, and let politicians and diplomats try to reach an agreement amicably.

On the "alliance-misalliance" and return to big politics

Avakov spoke very vaguely about his ambitions after resignation, but made it clear that he is not going to leave politics and has big plans.

"I am a supporter of balance, balance is my religion. When balance exists, development exists for everyone. I reject extreme viewpoints, I am a centrist", the former minister said.

Consequently, Avakov did not rule out cooperation with the parliamentary speaker dismissed from his post, Dmytro Razumkov, whom he called a "left-centrist".

Among possible allies, Avakov named former prime ministers Volodymyr Groysman and Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and even Yulia Tymoshenko.

Arsen Avakov

Let us think about getting all these smart and different people to try to form such an alliance-misalliance — I don't mind — that would create balance that would move our country forward. That is what I want to do. Yes, this is politics, yes, it will happen.

In conclusion, he added that now power is held by "many producers", apparently hinting at the president's concert and television past and that of his circle.

Reaction

In the Office of the President, the critical statements of former Interior Minister Arsen Avakov were called speculation.

Mykhailo Podolyak
adviser to the head of the Office of the President

I would call all this traditional "post-resignation syndrome". When, after leaving office, people start behaving as if the country is losing a brilliant administrator in their person.

"When they lose their posts, messianic habits immediately awaken in them and they address people as if people won't be able to manage without them", Podolyak added.

The adviser to the head of the Office of the President noted that most former officials who make such critical statements "are not capable of independently winning elections and gaining a decent level of electoral support".

Online, the interview is being actively discussed, in particular people are outraged that Avakov was not asked any sharp questions about his activities as Interior Minister.

"What about support for radical organizations, the Sheremet murder case? Can I also go as an expert and peddle my mug from an armchair without interrupting the monologue?" – writes Kharkiv journalist Serhiy Bobok on Facebook.

The murder case of journalist Pavel Sheremet became one of the stains on the former minister's reputation

"Arsen Avakov is returning to politics by taking a warm bath on Akhmetov's TV channel. Avakov's answers were resonant. There were just no resonant questions", indignantly says former journalist and MP Serhiy Leshchenko.

"Avakov, who six months ago praised the NSDC's work on Akhmetov's channel, including his own as one of the NSDC members, now, having rested, is returning to politics and on the same Akhmetov channel is telling how bad the NSDC is and what wrong decisions it makes", writes user Galina Mirnaya.