Tatarov: The Face of Post-Soviet Oligarchization in Ukraine

Oleh Tatarov is 1 of the most influential—and at the same time least recognizable—figures in Ukrainian politics. He does not lead a political party, does not conduct diplomatic negotiations, and seldom appears in the public spotlight. Nevertheless, for years he has been at the center of disputes over the independency of law enforcement agencies, state reform, and the limits of the presidential interior circle’s influence. Tatarov has become a symbol of the conflict between the promise of building a state governed by the regulation of law and the persistence of post-Soviet mechanisms of control, loyalty, and protection for those in power.