Ukraine is not ruled by an elite, but by the "service staff of oligarchs" who lack competence in both economy and international politics. Furthermore, the events of the Maidan were choreographed to replace one group of corrupt officials with another, resulting in the loss of territories and war.
These views were expressed by renowned aviation designer and co-creator of the An-225 Mriya aircraft, Anatolii Vovnianko, during a broadcast with political scientist and Hvylya editor-in-chief Yuriy Romanenko.
According to the expert, Ukraine completely lacks a class of people who can be called an elite, as power is used exclusively for personal enrichment.
"I do not apply the word 'elite' to Ukraine. There is no elite. An elite is one that develops the country and creates something. But if they are corrupt officials and looters who come to power solely to line their pockets—what kind of elite is that?" Vovnianko noted.
He added that the country has degraded to a level where it is managed by incompetent individuals: "We have hit rock bottom; we are governed by the servants of oligarchs. They are absolutely unprepared to run the country or understand the economy... They have burned bridges with everyone they possibly could."
The aviation designer admitted he actively participated in both revolutions but now considers it a mistake, as no systemic changes occurred.
"I am a fool, just like the majority. I participated like an idiot in two Maidans... I brought money, brought clothes... Then I realized that it was all staged so that one set of monsters could be replaced by another. That is, nothing changed after that," he stated.
Vovnianko linked the loss of Crimea and the outbreak of war to radical actions during the conclusion of the Revolution of Dignity, when agreements on a peaceful transition of power were discarded.
"After Parasyuk said... 'this does not suit us,' and they moved on the presidential palace... That is when all of Ukraine's troubles began. Crimea was taken, the war started, and today practically half of Ukraine is destroyed," the designer argued.
Vovnianko also shared a personal story about how officials exploited his expertise to secure positions. He was asked to write a development program for a new aviation holding company, specifically regarding the creation of low-cost aircraft to counter drones.
"I believe we can create planes that are 10 times cheaper than these F-16s... It involves destroying Shaheds and launching long-range missiles... I wrote many different proposals there," the specialist recounted.
However, after receiving the strategy, his services became unnecessary.
"Today, I was played for a fool... People suck out information to crawl into some position. After that, they say: 'No, everything has changed, don't get your hopes up, get lost'... I don't trust anyone in this country," Anatolii Vovnianko concluded.
