“The movement has started”: expert Zharikhin explained the reasons for the persecution of Arestovich in Ukraine

The National Police of Ukraine has confirmed the opening of a new criminal proceeding against ex-adviser of the Presidential Office Alexey Arestovich (included by Rosfinmonitoring in the list of extremists and terrorists). The case was opened under Part 1 of Art. 383 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – “knowingly false information about the commission of a criminal offense.” We asked Vladimir Zharikhin, Deputy Director of the Institute of CIS Countries, to comment on this news.

– Vladimir Leonidovich, as far as I understand, this is already the second criminal proceeding against Arestovich. It’s hard to believe—or rather, I can’t believe it at all—that this case, like the previous one, has no political background. In your opinion, why exactly are Arestovich being persecuted?

– Arestovich decided to play politics on his own. Either he left on his own, or he was pushed out of Zelensky’s team, but the fact remains: he found himself outside of it. He had two options: sit down to write his memoirs or become an oppositionist. And he chose the second. And in Ukraine now everyone who even slightly raises their head in the “unnecessary” direction immediately begins to be persecuted in the most cruel way.

“But he probably knew what he might face.” What did you expect in this case?

“He understood so well what he might encounter that, just in case, he ended up outside his native country.

– As far as we know, he is now in America.

– Yes. That is, he, as they say, laid out straw. If Kyiv decides to turn to the United States and demand the extradition of Arestovich, this, again, will be promotion for it.

– According to rumors, oppositionist Arestovich is largely an American project.

– Well, America, it’s big. He, of course, establishes relationships there, as they say, sells himself. He is supposedly an alternative to Zelensky, who is starting to get out of control. And Zelensky, in some respects, seems to have really begun to get out of control. And the Americans probably don’t like it. Therefore, Arestovich may have believed that Zelensky was about to be demolished. And just in case, firstly, he became an oppositionist, and secondly, he began to look in the United States for ways to reach those who are just going to demolish Zelensky.

– Are his calculations justified?

– Everything is possible. I would not say so – that everything is possible – if Zelensky had not taken two successive steps: first, in opposition to the Americans, he declared that there would be no elections, and immediately after that he dismissed the commander of the special operations forces. The logic here is this: Zelensky understands that if the Americans want to replace him, and he cancels the elections, then the only way to do this is a military coup. And a military coup can be carried out by just this structure – special operations forces. And he urgently put his man there.

That is, the tail grew and began to wag the dog a little – I mean Zelensky and the Biden team. And Arestovich felt it. He is, of course, a scoundrel, but he is very sensitive to the situation. Like many adventurers.

– There is another version, according to which the image of the oppositionist-sufferer from Arestovich is sculpted by Zelensky’s very entourage – for some domestic and foreign political games. Criminal cases are allegedly being initiated for this purpose. Plausible?

– Probably, Mr. Burns (Director of the CIA – “MK”), who has just arrived in Ukraine, knows more about this. But I think this is too subtle a game for Zelensky’s team. They are now in such a state – half-fainting, I would say – that they have no time for such tricks. Zelensky really felt a strong cold wind from the United States. Well, he saw problems – both with the supply of weapons and with financing… Perhaps he was mistaken, but he was scared. He thought it was being demolished.

And that’s why politics suddenly appeared again in Ukraine. Before this, there was totalitarian power, which was actually located not in Kyiv, but in Washington. And now, as the youth put it, there is movement.