Editor’s Note: This story is the third installment of a four-part series called “Unkept Promises” about the lack of progress in four key areas since President Volodymyr Zelensky took office in May. Previous stories in the series examined why no one has been successfully prosecuted for the multibillion-dollar bank fraud of the last decade, and looked at the state of Ukraine’s unreformed law enforcement. The next installment will focus on Zelensky’s relations with oligarchs.

Despite a dramatic change in national leadership last year, some things remain the same in Ukraine. Among them are entrenched local elites, some of whom have held power for many years.