The new year in Ukraine has begun in crisis mode. On January 8, the country was in shock following the downing of a Ukraine International Airlines jet over Tehran. And now, the government is facing a crisis.

On Friday, Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk announced he had tendered his resignation, days after leaked audio appeared to show Honcharuk disparage President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as having a "very primitive" understanding of economics.

Just hours later, Zelenskiy rejected his premier's resignation over the "unpleasant" tape situation. "I've thought about it," Zelenskiy said in a video released by his office, "and it seems to me that it would be proper to give you and your government a chance."

At issue is a leaked audio recording of a meeting of a small group of government officials, at which Honcharuk and several ministers were present. In the six-minute recording, they talk about, among other things, the problems associated with the unexpectedly rapid recovery of the national currency, the hryvnia.

Read more: How Zelenskiy beat Poroshenko

In the conversation, Honcharuk appears to say Zelenskiy doesn't understand much about the economy — though he also apparently describes his own limited understanding as well.

The recording was published on an anonymous YouTube channel; the audio quality is poor, but it seems to be authentic. It has, however, been spliced together; on Friday, Honcharuk said the audio was made up of different fragments of what had been said at government meetings. In his short appearance before parliament on Friday, the prime minister emphasized his loyalty to Zelenskiy.

Ukraine's President Zelenskiy — from sitcom star to statesman The sitcom president Volodymyr Zelenskiy was a well-known figure in Ukraine before he stood for president — but not as a politician. The comedian and actor starred in a 2015 TV show called "Servant of the People," in which he played a fictional president of Ukraine. In 2018 his production company formed a political party of the same name, and in December 2018 he announced he really was running for president.

Ukraine's President Zelenskiy — from sitcom star to statesman Fiction becomes reality Beating the odds, Zelenskiy was elected as president on April 21, 2019. The media-savvy TV star used social media to run an almost entirely online campaign and performed well in the polls from the start. The 41-year-old was also credited with appealing to a younger generation.

Ukraine's President Zelenskiy — from sitcom star to statesman 'A PERFECT PHONE CALL' Zelenskiy was drawn into an international controversy early in his term. A July phone call with US President Donald Trump put Ukraine in the center of the Trump impeachment case. Trump is accused of withholding $400 million (€360 million) in aid to Ukraine to pressure Zelenskiy to investigate Trump's rival Joe Biden. Trump has denied wrongdoing and later tweeted it was a "PERFECT PHONE CALL."

Ukraine's President Zelenskiy — from sitcom star to statesman Peace talks with Putin Zelenskiy has made easing tensions with Russia a primary goal of his presidency. As a war between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists dragged on into its fifth year, Germany and France arranged a Paris summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy in December 2019. Among other things, the two sides agreed to several major prisoner exchanges.

Ukraine's President Zelenskiy — from sitcom star to statesman Iran plane crash perpetrators 'must be held accountable' Ukraine entered the headlines again in January 2020 after a Ukrainian airliner was shot down over Tehran, killing 176 people, on the same night that Iran fired missiles at US airbases in Iraq. Zelenskiy has been called on by the nations of the victims to act as a mediator with Iran to gain compensation for those affected. "The perpetrators must be held accountable," he said.

Ukraine's President Zelenskiy — from sitcom star to statesman 'Second chance' for his government In January 2020, Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk offered his resignation after audio tapes emerged in which he appeared to criticize Zelenskiy's knowledge of economics, saying the president needed to be better educated. Honcharuk resigned on Friday, but Zelenskiy said he would give his government a "second chance" — though he admitted the remarks were "unpleasant." Author: Elliot Douglas



Prime minister suspects plot

The revelations weren't exactly an eye-opener, and most likely didn't come as a surprise to Zelenskiy's voters. Before his victory in the presidential election last April, the 41-year-old Zelenskiy was a successful actor, comedian and TV producer, with no political experience and no background in economics. Honcharuk, at 35 the youngest prime minister in Ukraine's history, previously studied law and worked in the commercial property sector.

Read more: Oleksiy Honcharuk: From political outsider to prime minister

The prime minister sees himself as the victim of a plot, set up by people whose lucrative businesses are being destroyed by his government reforms. He didn't name names, but media are speculating that a powerful oligarch may be behind the leak. Others, like former President Petro Poroshenko, suspect the Russian secret services.

Honcharuk has only been in office since the end of August. In less than half a year, he has launched far-reaching changes, replaced top personnel and, above all, pressed ahead with the digitization of the civil service sector. Kyiv's extension of a gas transit agreement with Moscow in late December counts as one of his government's biggest successes to date.

There has, however, also been criticism. In recent days, media reports about pay increases given to his ministers and to CEOs of state companies — some of them dramatic — have prompted outrage. Honcharuk has sought to justify the raises, saying the aim is to combat corruption.

Rejecting Honcharuk's resignation, Zelenskiy ordered an investigation to find out who was behind the recording. "I demand that within two weeks, as soon as possible, we obtain information on who conducted this recording. Find out who did this and deal with it," Zelenskiy said in comments released by his office. There are two possibilities: either one of the participants in the conversation made a secret recording, or else the room was bugged with a concealed listening device.

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More leaks to come?

With Zelenskiy's support, Honcharuk now has a good chance of remaining in office for the time being. In Ukraine, it's not the president who decides on the prime minister's dismissal, but the parliament. And with Zelenskiy already having rejected the resignation, Honcharuk's resignation offer won't even make it to the lawmakers.

But anything remains possible: The people behind the scandalous recording have announced further revelations are on the way.

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