Political behavior of the elite before the full-scale invasion of Russian troops: analysis of the consequences of activities

Анотація

Abstract:

The article analyzes the peculiarities of the political behavior of the elite in Ukraine in the period before the full- scale invasion of the Russian army on the territory of the Ukrainian state using one of the options of institutional analysis.

Based on the facts of the political process of 1991–2021 (as a kind of reflection of the behavior of the elite), as well as on assessments, conclusions, comments and proposals of direct representatives of elite groups in Ukraine, analysts and experts regarding certain achievements or losses, strong or weak (“failed”, “illogical”, “criminal”) actions (behavior) of elite groups have been established and characterized:

• markers of peculiar “titles” of the elite (“contraband king”, “gas king”, “amber king”, “gray cardinal”, );
• instruments of influence on opponents, competitors, voters (in particular, such as state authorities, criminal structures, intellectuals, media resources, political parties, the church);
• methods of fighting the adversary (by vetoing, killing opponents, slander and defamation, discrediting, informational attacks, “correcting” biography, lustration, reformatting institutions in one’s own interests, creating institutions outside the legal field, supporting and justifying Russian aggression, and tolerating separatist sentiments in the regions occupied by the Russian Federation since 2014, avoiding criminal liability, bribery, stigmatization, raiding, unauthorized recording of “films”, );

techniques of manipulating society (intimidation, speculation, populism, blocking the participation of new social groups in politics, as well as new elites);

• consequences of reformatting of political institutions, which led to instability, instability and their hybrid nature; the presence of institutions in a state of permanent crises, ;
• the consequences of society’s attitude towards representatives of the elite and the institutions created by it (the VerkhovnaRada of Ukraine, the government, local authorities, the police, the prosecutor’s office, judges, the tax inspectorate, mass media, ), as evidenced by the data of sociological surveys.

Thus, the article is in its own way a concluding reflection on the problem of the quality of elites in Ukraine and can serve as a “starting point” for further study of elites and their behavior, as well as the impact of the consequences of this behavior on the state of politics, the state and society in the future.