His wartime leadership earned standing ovations in legislative chambers from London to Washington, cementing his image as a symbol of Ukraine’s struggle for freedom.
The backlash intensified after masked, heavily armed agents from Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) raided the Kharkiv home of prominent anti-corruption activist Vitaliy Shabunin last Friday, confiscating phones, laptops, and tablets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak have been accused of trying to consolidate power (Photo: Remo Casilli/Reuters)
Shabunin and Kubrakov described the raids as politically driven.
The raids came after sanctions were imposed on several high-profile politicians, among them former president Petro Poroshenko, who was defeated by Zelensky in the 2019 election and has remained a vocal critic ever since. The two men are well known to dislike each other personally.
The home of anti-corruption campaigner Vitaliy Shabunin was raided on Friday 11 July (Photo: Evgen Kotenko/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
He has accused the President of “authoritarianism,” claiming the government sanctioned him in an attempt to block his potential candidacy in a future election.
Zelensky’s initial five-year term came to an end in 2024 but in accordance with Ukraine’s constitution, elections have been postponed because martial law has been in effect since Russia launched its invasion in 2022.
“War changes many things, including the workings of political power,” writes Mariana Budjeryn, a senior fellow at the US think tank the Brookings Institution.
Zelensky loyalist Andriy Yermak has been accused of wielding power far in excess of his official role (Photo: Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)“A public perception that Ukraine’s institutions lack transparency has not been helped by allegations that Zelensky relies on a small inner circle of confidants for decision-making,” she said, adding “Ukraine’s democratic backsliding risks undermining the country’s wartime cohesion.”
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the President installed Yulia Svydyrenko, a former economy minister and ally of Yermak, as Ukraine’s new Prime Minister, in what many saw as a move to shore up Zelensky’s support.
Crackdown on dissent ‘retreat’ from reform pledges
“Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, I’ve consistently argued that the fight against corruption must not be shelved in favour of military priorities,” said Bociurkiw.
Bociurkiw pointed out that the latest government reshuffle “strongly suggests” Zelensky and his chief of staff Yermak are trying to consolidate power.
Zelensky attends a meeting with Yulia Svydyrenko, who has been appointed as Prime Minister (Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Service/AFP/Getty Images)As part of the reshuffle, Zelensky also chose not to appoint Oleksandr Tsyvinsky, a detective with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), as head of the Economic Security Bureau, which handles economic crime investigations. Tsyvinsky, who was independently selected for the role, was labelled “not suitable” by the cabinet.
“I must say that the West has not been very concerned about it, or at least there hasn’t been a lot of pressure because the idea was, we need to end the war and then we will deal with corruption. I’m not sure how this is going to go now,” she said.
Zelensky has managed to mend his relationship with Donald Trump (Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Service/AFP/Getty Images)
Ukrainian media have protested against the move against Shabunin, with the Kyiv Independent saying: “A crackdown on the country’s most famous anti-corruption crusader can’t be happening without at least the silent approval from President Zelensky, if not active permission.”
Zelensky’s poll numbers “began to rebound” after “a slump in popularity following 2022,” Bociurkiw said. “This renewed public confidence presents a pivotal opportunity for him to pursue bold reforms and show the world what Ukraine is capable of — if given the chance.”
Read Next
square RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR AnalysisWhy Trump's 50-day Ukraine deadline is a trap - but not for Putin
Read More“More recent polls confirm that a majority of Ukrainians see corruption as the country’s second-biggest challenge — after Russian aggression. President Zelensky should use this moment to renew his government’s commitment to tackling it head-on,” Bociurkiw said.
Meanwhile, 19 per cent of respondents felt that democracy had improved, and 29 per cent said they had noticed no significant change.
But the group also cited “positive reforms” by the Zelensky administration, and suggested Ukraine is one of the few countries in the region making meaningful progress toward democracy.
Hence then, the article about why zelensky is under fire over corrupt authoritarianism was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Why Zelensky is under fire over ‘corrupt authoritarianism’ )
Also on site :