Nepotism by Any Other Name: How Officials Really Build Their Careers

Source: Author’s Facebook page

A senior civil servant sent me this heartfelt message. He wishes to remain anonymous, but he can no longer stay silent.

I would like to delicately discuss a situation that NABU brilliantly highlighted — though only those “in the know” truly understood. It concerns the close personal relationships among civil servants of different ranks (ministers sleeping with each other, some indulging in other private predilections, etc.).

With the start of large-scale work, we adopted the Law of Ukraine on the Organization of Labor Relations under Martial Law. This law effectively abolished the only significant achievement of the Revolution of Dignity and the Poroshenko era in terms of “career elevators” — namely, competitive selection for civil service positions.

Of course, by 2022, we had learned how to manipulate these competitions (and, if necessary, I can explain the methods in detail). But for people with the right education, experience, and professional recommendations — who lacked the proper connections — these competitions represented a real opportunity.

All of that was discarded. Instead, under the pretext of “wartime expediency,” leaders can now appoint anyone to any position — often labeled as “acting,” though those two small letters rarely make a difference. As a result, in virtually every vertical of power — from civil servants in categories A (ministers and their deputies) and B (heads of departments and their deputies) to heads of municipal institutions — positions are now filled based on blat rather than merit.

These individuals share common features in their biographies:

1. Questionable or dubious higher education – often from obscure “schools” in the U.S., Europe, or elsewhere.

2. Lack of adequate practical experience at lower levels in the fields to which they have been assigned.

3. Involvement with NGOs, foundations, or “coaching courses”, where they supposedly distinguished themselves. Evidence of experience often amounts to one or two commissioned articles signed by the person, a few online videos, and a flashy website — although, recently, some appointed civil servants in categories A and B lack even these minimal credentials.

The newly appointed can be divided into two broad groups:

A) Members of certain “clans.”
B) Wives, mistresses, lovers, and similar connections.

While the first phenomenon has always existed, and “old bureaucrats” have learned to work within its unwritten rules, the second group is far more difficult to accept. This second group consists of individuals who are incompetent, arrogant, and frequently vulgar. They place themselves far above their subordinates, who, in reality, are several levels more experienced and intellectually capable than these brazen appointees.

If the story of the personal relationship between these two ministers were an isolated incident, it might have never been made public. But the problem is that the appointment of favorites has become a widespread plague within this government. Morality in the civil service has been eroded. It has become an axiom that appointments are made through personal or intimate connections. Subordinates have become virtually mindless, lacking independent judgment — easily intimidated, with martial law providing an extensive toolkit for control.

Another factor is the composition of the older civil service cadres: women, men are mostly approaching or past retirement age, and a few highly specialized professionals. Many younger men, who might have resisted this system, volunteered for the Armed Forces of Ukraine back in 2022. These vacancies have been filled by a temporary, largely inexperienced group of officials.””

Of course, personal relationships have always played a role in career advancement. But in the past, they were condemned and therefore discreet. Today, such relationships have become the very basis of a career.

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