The National Bank of Ukraine has launched an internal investigation into the conflict between Pavel Polarush, head of the NBU's Department for Work with Troubled Assets, and Belarusian volunteer Andrei Tratsevsky (Bezsmertny), during which the official threatened to kill him, UNN reports .
Context
Belarusian volunteer Andrei Tratsevsky (Bezsmertny) said that he was threatened by Pavel Poliarush, the drunk head of the NBU's Department for Work with Problem Assets.
The incident occurred on the road near one of the capital's residential complexes. According to him, Polarush jumped in front of the soldier's car, blocked traffic, started fighting and said that he would shoot him in the legs with his award-winning weapon. Polarush denied everything. Another video published by the military shows that police officers inspecting Polarush's car found an object that looked like a gun. According to Tratsevsky, Poliarush allegedly said that he would "buy everyone" and said in front of law enforcement officers that "all Belarusian volunteers will either go back to Belarus or kneel in Pokrovsk." Videos of the incident went viral on social media and caused outrage among users. They demanded a response from the NBU management to the incident.
The Kyiv police told UNN that they had opened criminal proceedings under the articles "threatening to kill" and "inflicting light bodily harm" and drew up a report against Polarush for driving under the influence. In addition, law enforcement confirmed that they had seized a weapon from the official.
Having received information about an incident involving a NBU employee that was not related to the performance of professional duties and outside of working hours, the NBU turned to law enforcement agencies to obtain reliable information about its circumstances and, on behalf of the NBU Governor, launched its own internal investigation, which is ongoing
Recall
According to media reports, Polarush is to be appointed managing director of the Deposit Guarantee Fund. He is a favorite of the National Bank, whose representatives are members of the DGF's Administrative Board, which is making the relevant personnel changes. It is possible that Polarush may also be supported by the Presidential Office, as the Deputy Head of the Office, Iryna Mudra, is his common-law wife.
Earlier, journalists found out that Polarusz had repeatedly traveled abroad after the start of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. In particular, journalists reported that in November 2022, he received permission to leave the country from the odious former Deputy Minister of Defense, who is currently a suspect in corruption crimes. The permit was allegedly issued to Polarush to travel abroad in an elite Lexus car to receive humanitarian aid. However, it is not yet known on what grounds Polarush traveled abroad from February to November 2022.
Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Mykola Velychkovych that law enforcement should investigate Polarush's travels abroad. A member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security and Defense, Hennadiy Kasai ,that Polarush may face problems during the special vetting process as a candidate for the position of managing director of the Deposit Guarantee Fund.
At the same time, MPs and experts interviewed by UNN emphasize that the election of the new head of the Deposit Guarantee Fund should be transparent and open. One of the main selection criteria, along with professionalism, should be the candidate's crystal clear business reputation.
It is extremely important to have an impeccable reputation. This is the key. It is important that this person has a decent reputation, is definitely a specialist and a patriot of Ukraine, and does not represent the interests of someone else