In Ukraine, Rules for Thee but Not for Me
MP Mykola Tyshchenko with his wife and birthday celebrant, Alla Baranovska
Rules for thee, but not for me.
Amid a strict lockdown and with the worst infection rates in Europe, members of Ukraine’s elite - including some of the most senior members of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party, Servant of the People - gathered at Fairmont Grand Hotel Kyiv for several hours on April 18 for a birthday celebration of the wife of a senior party member.
According to RFE/RL’s award-winning investigative program, Schemes, the soirée, called ‘Pleasures of the Night,’ was thrown by the deputy chairman of the Servant of the People faction Mykola Tyshchenko - who himself contracted Covid-19 last October.
Tyshchenko is married to 26-year old Alla Baranovska, who identifies herself a a “public figure” and model on social media.
On a video of the proceedings carried by one outlet on Telegram no masks were visible among attendees nor was social distancing adhered to. Cabaret dancers and a female vocal soloist performed around an ornately decorated banquet table. The party was held in the hotel’s business lounge and was capped off with a fireworks show.
Schemes also reported that police showed up at the hotel once posts from the event began to appear on social media but they quickly left. (On the event invite issued by Baranovska, guests were asked to refrain from posting images from the celebration the same day and to avoid tagging the location). One of the VIP guests was the general manager of the hotel, Elizaveta Yurusheva, who Schemes reported runs the property on behalf of her billionaire father, Leonid Yurushev. Yurusheva’s husband, Oleksandr Skichko, a Servant of the People member who was appointed by Zelensky earlier this year as head of the Cherkasy Regional State Administration, was also in attendance
Earlier in April, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said. “If we do not stop the rapid spread of the disease quickly, the medical system of the capital will collapse.” Under the lockdown measures extended to the end of April, hotel F&B outlets are only to offer breakfast and in-room service. Stand-alone restaurants can only offer takeaway service.
On the website of the Fairmont Grand, the hotel proclaims: “As it has always been, the safety of our guests and team members are on top of priority. Due to local and worldwide health authorities requirements we have taken all measures in our hotel to make sure travellers know they will feel safe during their stay.”
In am emailed response, a spokesman for the Accor, the French owner of the Fairmont chain, said the matter is being looked into: “We take this matter very seriously and are investigating internally,” said Mike Taylor, head of group external communications.
With this type of reckless behaviour among those setting the rules, little wonder western diplomats are becoming frustrated with the elected leadership and its sloppy handling of the pandemic. And it should come as no surprise that Ukrainians, according to many polls, have extremely low trust in their leaders and many do not adhere to COVID safety protocols.
The event, especially with senior party members in attendance, is surely to reflect badly on Zelensky who campaigned on promises to wipe out corruption and put an end to unchecked privileged behaviour.
Link to Schemes text report, click here
Link to Schemes video report, click here
Link to Strana.UA Telegram channel (with video of party), click here
L-R: Servant of the People party brass Mykola Tyshchenko arrives at the Fairmont Grand Kyiv. Party-goers watch fireworks from the hotel balcony. Fireworks late at night. Credit: Schemes video