A recent New York Times piece details just how Ukrainian political rivalries are resurfacing as peace talks raise prospects for a cease-fire and elections: Petro Poroshenko is pushing for a unity government to aid negotiations with rumours that he wants to see Zelensky imprisoned; while President Zelensky in turn intensifies pressure on opponents, using martial law to extend his term and to freeze Poroshenko’s assets.

In post-Maidan Ukraine, politics has been marked by a troubling descent into personal vendettas and authoritarian tactics, all under the guise of Western-backed “democracy.” Moreover, Zelensky’s anti-corruption claims are undermined by his own ties to oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky, whose influence largely shaped Zelensky’s rise to the point of the latter being often described as a “creature” of the former: the Ukrainian leader in fact protected the oligarch’s interests until U.S. pressure led to his fall

In this context, the Zelensky-Poroshenko conflict transcends personal rivalry, reflecting a deeper power struggle in a Ukraine plagued by armed conflict (since 2014, with its civil war in Donbass, by the way), economic distress, oligarchic rule and endemic corruption, as well as by political intrigue, foreign interference, and neo-Nazi networks freely operating with the aid of intelligence services (more on that later).

Poroshenko, a billionaire oligarch and former president, has positioned himself as a key opposition figure, advocating for a national unity government supposedly to smooth peace talks with Russia. His European Solidarity party has demanded parliamentary sessions to scrutinize Zelensky’s handling of peace negotiations and controversial mineral deals with the United States. All of this signals a calculated move to undermine the incumbent leader.

Yet, Poroshenko’s........

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