Let’s begin with a story that always repeats itself. On the morning of February 22, 2014, President Viktor Yanukovych disappeared from Kyiv and fled Ukraine. Parliament, with 328 votes, adopted a resolution declaring Yanukovych removed from the office of President of Ukraine. During the Euromaidan protests in Kyiv from November 21, 2013, to February 23, 2014, more than 100 demonstrators and 18 police officers were killed in street clashes. These victims would not have perished had Yanukovych been able to step over his unfounded political ambitions.
The political crisis in Irpin has its own parallel. On July 21, suspended Mayor of Irpin Oleksandr Markushyn called on all residents of the community to rally in his support. However, his appeal was ignored by Irpin residents. Only a few dozen former executive committee employees, who were dismissed together with Markushyn, showed up. That number represents less than 0.0001% of the city’s population.
And this is a parallel that cannot help but alarm. Yanukovych and Markushyn differ in scale but are identical in their strategy of losing public trust. One fled from Mezhyhirya, the other hides behind dismissed officials. One called to “restore order,” the other organizes rallies with employees who once sat on budget flows. Both failed to realize: power is not about schemes, but about trust. And when that trust is gone, not even the strongest fences or schemes can save you.
There is nothing worse than trying to cling to power after the people have said, “Enough.” If Yanukovych’s downfall became a lesson for the entire country, then Markushyn is a reminder that systemic flaws do not always come from the top. Sometimes, they start in a single city — like Irpin.
Markushyn is a figure in dozens of criminal proceedings by the National Police, the Bucha Prosecutor’s Office, and the State Bureau of Investigation. The cases involve kidnappings, embezzlement of budget funds, salary manipulation schemes, corruption with developer contributions, and funneling money to affiliated companies. It is worth noting that residents of the community have stopped attending his court hearings, just as they no longer show up at his rallies.
There are several reasons why Markushyn should avoid becoming “Yanukovych to the end” and resign voluntarily:
- He has completely lost dialogue with the deputies of the Irpin City Council. Without cooperation between the mayor and the council, the community is doomed to mere survival, with no chance for recovery or development.
- He betrayed those who brought him to power. While claiming he was elected by the community, he forgot that the community did not elect Markushyn personally, but a team that worked effectively and entrusted him to represent them. When it suited him, he claimed the team’s collective achievements, but later sacrificed its members to shield himself in corruption scandals.
- Markushyn himself has created nothing in the city. During his term, not a single project was built. Everything residents see around them today — especially newcomers — is the result of work done by Volodymyr Karpliuk and his “New Faces” team during 2015–2020, before Markushyn ever became mayor.
- He revived schemes that had been looting Irpin for decades before Karpliuk came to office: salaries of 200,000 UAH; selective financial aid; dozens of phantom employees on municipal enterprises’ payrolls; inflated utility budgets; and bribes from businesses — all of which drain Irpin’s budget.
- The smear campaigns and fake news generated by Markushyn’s personal press service have turned the heroic city of Irpin into a city of bad reputation, shunned by serious partners. Journalists have repeatedly reported that in reality, Markushyn’s actions are directed by his undeclared partner, Taisiya Yusupova, who has Russian ties.
Despite everything, Markushyn’s behavior over the past six months clearly shows that his priority is power at any cost — even at the expense of the community’s peace and future. But history’s lessons cannot be erased: Yanukovych, too, once planned to rule forever…