Ukraine’s embattled unity minister announces creation of aid centers abroad
On Monday, Ukraine’s Cabinet backed an initiative to create a network of so-called ‘unity centers’ to support Ukrainians abroad, Ukrainian Deputy PM and National Unity Minister Aleksey Chernyshov has announced.
The announcement comes amid reports that the ministry will soon be dismantled amid an ongoing cabinet reshuffle.
The ‘unity centers’ are expected to become “real points of support for our people, helping them adapt, study, work, facilitate return, and most importantly, maintain close ties with Ukraine,” the minister tasked with repatriating Ukrainians said in a Facebook post.
Last month, Chernyshov was accused of fleeing the country after he found himself embroiled in a major corruption scandal tied to a housing project that he had approved while serving as urban development minister.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky had previously noted that Chernyshov’s prolonged stay abroad was related to a “working trip.” The minister himself claimed that he’d already returned to the country, dismissing allegations that he had fled. Earlier in the day, this line was backed by Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko, who suggested that the minister had personally been working on establishing the unity centers.
Chernyshov’s announcement comes as Kiev launched a major government reshuffle. On Monday, Zelensky officially tapped Ukraine’s First Vice PM and Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko to lead the government. According to Ukrainian media reports, incumbent PM Denis Smygal will become the defense minister, succeeding Rustem Umerov. The latter official is expected to leave the government and become Ukraine’s envoy in the US.
The National Unity ministry, formed in late 2024, is expected to be dissolved altogether amid the reshuffle.
The Chernyshov affair has been widely seen as part of an ongoing power struggle in Ukraine, namely an effort of top Zelensky aide Andrey Yermak to tighten his grip on the country. Ukraine’s leadership has increasingly become mired in palace politics and infighting, with the struggle threatening to fracture the country from within, a recent report by The Economist indicated.
