He casting of the president Volodímir Zelenski to elect his chief of staff enters its final phase with a spy, a diplomat, a technocrat and two politicians as candidates to replace who was, until his recent resignation due to suspicions of corruption, the most powerful man in the country after the president himself: Andriy Yermak.
His five possible successors are the head of Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR); the vice minister of foreign affairs, Sergiy Kyslytsya; the Minister of Digital Transformation, Mijailo Fedórov; the prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenkoand the Minister of Defense Denis Shmihalas Zelensky announced this Monday.
These are the main features of the candidates to occupy the, until now, position subordinate to the most important president in wartime, from which Yermak resigned on November 28.
The face of digital transformation
The candidate with the most possibilities according to Ukrainian media is the Minister of Digital Transformation, Mikhailo Fedorov.
At 34 years old, Fedorov is considered a technocrat for his career in the field of new technologies, in which he began to excel in 2015 by founding a marketing and digital development company that worked for Zelensky’s production company when he was an actor.
Fedorov began his involvement with Zelensky’s presidency as a consultant in 2019, a few months before assuming the Ministry of Digital Transformation of which he remains in charge.
Under Fedorov’s command, Ukraine has developed the DIIA application, which allows citizens to do all their public affairs on their smartphone and is claimed by Zelensky as one of its greatest achievements when it comes to modernizing the country.
Fedorov has also played a leading role in the integration of private technology companies in efforts to provide the Ukrainian Army with the greatest possible number of drones.
Ukraine’s most charismatic diplomat
In a political landscape marked by the centralization of power around Zelensky, the career diplomat and current Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergiy Kyslytsya, is one of the few charismatic figures with his own profile in the Ukrainian administration.
Kyslytsya stood out in the first three years of the war as ambassador to the UN. At the General Assembly headquarters in New York, he engaged in heated verbal confrontations with the Russian representative and contributed with his rhetoric to mobilizing support for Ukraine among the nations of the world.
This Spanish-speaking diplomat also had a constant and prominent presence in the American media during his stay in New York.
Returning to kyiv in February this year, Kyslytsya was part of the negotiating team chosen by Zelensky in meetings with Americans and Russians.
The head of the GUR
Although he does not know English or at least does not use it in public, the head of Military Intelligence (GUR), Kyrylo Budanovcombines a high international profile with the influence that directing the Ministry of Defense’s espionage structure gives him within Ukraine.
At 39 years old, Budanov has a long career as an Intelligence agent that includes combat operations in the Donbas war and direct direction and supervision as head of the GUR of some of the most ambitious actions carried out by Ukraine in enemy territory.
Budanov was one of the GUR agents who received CIA training after Russia seized Crimea and activated its militias in eastern Ukraine in 2014, and has an excellent image among the US spy community.
The head of the GUR expresses himself in public with extremely laconic language and cultivates a mysterious image that has made him one of the most emblematic figures in Ukraine.
He has also participated in some of the Ukrainians’ recent peace contacts with the United States.
In recent months, Zelensky had relied more on the civilian spy structure, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), to the detriment of the GUR.
Since Yermak’s fall from grace, Budanov has once again gained presence in the presidential offices on Bankova Street, where he would move his workplace if he were elected Zelensky’s chief of staff and accepted the position.
From politicians
Zelensky’s two other options are Defense Minister Denis Shmihal and Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
Shmihal was prime minister until July, a position he assumed with little political profile, focusing on day-to-day management. In the same way he is carrying out his work in Defense.
Svyrydenko replaced Shmihal as head of government in July and was considered a figure loyal to Yermak. Her election as Zelensky’s chief of staff would mean she has changed her allegiances or that Yermak still has influence.