Ukrainian president dismisses longtime friend from first assistant position
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has removed his longtime friend and business partner from the Kvartal 95 show project, Serhiy Shefir, from the position of First Assistant to the President, according to a decree posted on the president's website on March 30.
In addition, Zelensky dismissed three more Presidential Advisers - Serhiy Trofimov, Mykhailo Radutskyi and Oleh Ustenko - as well as two Presidential Commissioners - Natalia Pushkariova and Aliona Verbytska.
Read also: ‘President’s Office disrespects Parliament’ – growing rift between Zelenskyy’s office & parliament
Earlier, Zelensky fired two deputy heads of the Presidential Office, Oleksii Dniprov and Andriy Smyrnov.
Longtime friend of the President: who is Serhiy Shefir?
Serhiy Shefir was appointed in Presidential Office in May 2019, as soon as Zelenskyy became President.
Read also: Deputy Head of Presidential Office cleared in conflict of interest case: Court closes investigation
Shefir is a longtime friend and business partner of Zelenskyy. They have known each other since 1995, when brothers Serhiy and Borys Shefir organized KVN comedy show festival in Kryvyi Rih.
In 2003, together with Zelenskyy, they founded Kvartal 95 studio. Serhiy Shefir was a screenwriter, producer and director of Kvartal 95 Studio.
Read also: Another Deputy Head of Ukrainian President's Office to depart — NV sources
According to Slidstvo.info, Zelenskyy transferred his share of Kvartal 95 on the eve of the 2019 presidential election to Shefir.
On Sep. 22, 2021, an assassination attempt was made on Shefir - his car was fired upon with an assault rifle in Kyiv Oblast. In total, car was hit 18 times,his driver was injured, Shefir himself was not. Presidential Office linked the attack on Shefir to the infamous law on deoligarchization.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
