>>/36634/ >>/36683/ [Part 2] George Kent himself is a frequent guest at Kiev public events. Recently he participated in the opening of a local grocery store, a scientific symposium on health protection, American movies screening, to name a few. People's Deputy of Ukraine Sergei Leshchenko once posted his photo with George Kent on his Facebook page (when he was still working at the State Department), saying that Mr. Kent was a good friend of Ukraine. Puppet master Our source thinks that George Kent is working for the US Intelligence. He is convinced that Kent had a role to play in the Orange Revolution during his first term in Kiev as political section’s Deputy Head. "Kent supervises the NABU. He brought Storch (Robert Storch, US citizen and candidate for the position of independent auditor at the NABU) to official and unofficial events", admitted the source. A representative of the anti-corruption NGO, who knows Kent, shared with "Strana.ua" an amusing story about Storch. "Storch and Kent attended Rada's Anti-corruption Committee hearing to select an independent auditor of the NABU. Talking about the procedure and candidates, Yegor Sobolev (Head of the committee) said that at first nobody applied, so he called the US embassy asking them to suggest a candidate. They recommended Mr. Storch, and after the meeting Mr. Kent politely, but firmly said, "The diplomatic mission did not invite anyone and Storch is a private person". As far as I got it, Yegor missed the mark with this", said the source. A diplomat who personally knows Kent described him as a "puppet master". "He knows ins and outs of the Ukrainian politics. He gives recommendations to some people and instructions to the others". He is nice to those who follow his advice. At the same time, he is a sociable guy and a good family man", told us the source. According to him, the position of the Deputy Head of the mission is high enough for the leading Ukrainian politicians to listen to him. "Yovanovitch, for instance, can’t visit Yatsenyuk at the Carnegie center at night (the Carnegie center hosts the office of Arseniy Yatsenyuk's "People's Front" (Narodnyi Front)). And Kent will do it, and they will listen to him", said the source to "Strana.ua". This makes absolutely no sense to trace it back to the US However, the anti-corruption community believes that influence of the US embassy and its representative George Kent on Ukrainian politics is overrated. If the "People's Front" (Narodnyi Front) is referring to the Martynenko case, as far as we know, proceedings against him are still open in three European countries. "This makes absolutely no sense to trace it back to the US", said the Head of the Anti-Corruption action center Vitaly Shabunin. The Quiet American "Strana.ua" reported earlier that "People's Front" (Narodnyi Front) deputies think that George Kent acts at his own peril, and doesn’t take instructions from his Washington bosses. And Martynenko’s detention is the result of his initiative, and not the US strategy. Based on this, Kent is a puppet master just like the main character of the famous novel by Graham Greene "The Quiet American." However, one Ukrainian diplomat, familiar with the work of the US embassy and the State Department doesn’t support this claim. "Naturally, as a person well aware of Ukrainian reality, George Kent can act on his own when it comes to certain tactical issues, but the anti-corruption strategy is approved in the US and is implemented regardless of people behind it. It basically comes down to taking the power and financial flows away from the politicians involved in Ukrainian business, since the way the West sees it, it will reduce corruption levels and, in the long run, pave the way for large transnational corporations, as already happened in Eastern Europe". [Part 3]