Five days in September 2019 that tested Ukraine's institutions
A look back at a court ruling, a new anti-corruption court and two political decisions that framed the days around 5 September 2019.
What did the days around 5 September 2019 reveal about how Ukraine's institutions were being reshaped? Several separate developments, taken together, offer a snapshot.
On 5 September 2019, the newly created High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine began work. Its opening came as the legislature had acted two days earlier: on 3 September 2019 the Verkhovna Rada approved a bill providing for the removal of immunity from people's deputies. Both steps concerned accountability of officials and the machinery for holding them to account.
The executive branch also made a notable move. On 4 September 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to dismiss Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klitschko from his post as head of the Kyiv City State Administration. The decision concerned one of the country's most prominent local officials and added a point of tension to the week's political news.
A court ruling with international weight
On 5 September 2019, the Court of Appeal in Kyiv ruled to release Volodymyr Tsemakh, a person of interest in the case of the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. The flight, from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down on 17 July 2014 over eastern Ukraine by a missile fired by Russian-backed forces; all 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed.
The same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia and Ukraine were finalising negotiations on a "rather large-scale" prisoner exchange.
Reading the sequence
The developments covered different ground: a judicial body starting operations, parliament moving on deputies' immunity, the Cabinet acting against the head of the capital's administration, and a court decision in a case with international dimensions. What they shared was the date range and the prominence of state institutions in each: a court, a parliament, a government and an appeals tribunal all took decisive steps within three days.
For readers looking back, 5 September 2019 stands out chiefly for the start of the High Anti-Corruption Court's work, an institution that began its life on that date.
