In an entry of 26th
October 2015, a few words relating Boris
Lozhkin, a name to a few outside of Ukraine would know appeared – “Lozhkin has been making
noticeable noises and shuffles behind the curtain to the point that his
ambition to hold the role seems quite clear – and that would explain why
somebody has already tried to cut that ambition down to size by having Austria
now question funds held in that nation that are attributed to Lozhkin. (A
smell has now deliberately been wafted around him that involves Austria and
thus the EU to let him know his limitations.)”.
In order to
complete that tale, at least that tale as known to this blog, there was no
criminality involved although the desired effect and political damage was done.
The funds concerned were channeled in such a way as to avoid tax – and
are not profits from nefarious deals or criminal acts. Tax avoidance is a
national sport in Ukraine, willfully participated in from the lowly shop keeper
and hostelry owner to the oligarchy.
The sums involved may be drastically
different, but the mens rea is
nonetheless the same. As a percentage of income, perhaps the lowly shop
keeper and hostelry owner may even hide more of their earnings from the tax man
than the oligarchy.
It is actually
quite difficult to tie Mr Lozkhin to any specific nefariousness. It
requires traveling some way back in time to even tenuously link him with people
such Ahat Bragin and Evgen Shcherban. He probably rubs shoulders with
more odious and nefarious people now than at any other time in his life.
Early this
month, his name appeared once more – “It is rumoured that
Boris Lozhkin, and Dmitry Shymkiv, both currently Head and Deputy Head of the
Presidential Administration respectively, will become Deputy Prime Ministers,”.
Mr Lozkhin is
probably best known in Kharkiv and remains relatively unknown throughout
Ukraine – despite being the current Head of the Presidential Administration and
building a media/publishing empire beginning in 1994. He is a media man,
but not a media personality.
He is without
doubt a “doer”/”fixer” that deals with the mechanics. Substance over
form. Content rather than the cover, is king.
It is Mr
Lozhkin that reached out to Misha Saakashvili (and team) as well as other foreigners
that came to aid Ukraine in 2014.
Both he and
this blog see Governor Saakashvili as a necessary somewhat
destabilising/irksome itch required to create an internal reaction if the
existing model and status quo is
to be challenged. The unanswered question is how to direct/manage the
internal irritation that Governor Saakashvili causes to achieve best possible
outcomes whilst preventing him simply becoming a force of /agent of chaos?
Fortunately an issue for Mr Lozhkin to resolve and not this blog.
For the chief
engineer and discreet/secretive high chamberlain of the Presidential
Administration’s boiler room policy, strategy and problem solving, and somebody
that is clearly highly intelligent, politically savvy, to be noticeably edging
out from behind the curtain, a question presents itself – Why would such an
individual want to take on a clearly public political role (as evidenced by his
previous (and perhaps still current but in abeyance) moves to become PM and now
touted position as Deputy PM) in any reshuffle?
For a media
man, and not a man in the media, why now to step from behind the curtain?
Indeed, whilst
still holding the post of Head of the Presidential Administration (and a High
Chamberlain of the innermost circle of government behind the government), Mr
Lozkhin has just released (a few days ago) a book called the “Fourth Republic”
which by its title implies at the very least commentary on his time in office
over the past 19 months. – its release timed, some may observe, at the
crescendo of coalition/reshuffle negotiations in which he is rumoured to emerge
with high office within the Verkhovna Rada.
It appears,
that for whatever reason, (and it is no bad thing for his reputation as a
reform orientated implementer seems to stand up fairly well under the scrutiny
of numerous diplomats) Mr Lozkhin now desires to take a prominent role upon the
very public stage.
Is it a
preparatory act prior to inevitable early Verkhovna Rada elections probably
before Spring 2017? Is it an act to bring a bright and systemic mind to a
Verkhovna Rada that is dysfunctional with immediate effect? Either way,
to what end? He is not a man to act on a whim. He is a man privy to
confidential planning and confidential timing in the highest echelons. Ergo
any move into the very public political realm – and when – is significant.
The birth of
the overtly political and parliamentary Boris Lozkhin will have repercussions
both short, and probably medium term – but what those will be, and the intent
behind this new persona remain unclear.
No comments:
Post a Comment