Why Zelensky is under fire over ‘corrupt authoritarianism’ ...Middle East

President Volodymyr Zelensky was once hailed across European capitals as a symbol of democratic resilience and heroic defiance in the face of Russian aggression.

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.

But that admiration may now be giving way to some unease, with critics increasingly accusing Zelensky of overstepping his powers — using martial law and wartime conditions not just for national defence, but to sideline political rivals.

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.

SBI investigators and armed personnel also searched the Kyiv residence of former infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, seizing his mobile phone and other electronic devices. Officials said that both operations were part of ongoing corruption inquiries.

Shabunin and Kubrakov described the raids as politically driven.

“Zelensky is using my case to send a message to two groups that could pose a threat to him,” Shabunin told the Financial Times. “The first group are journalists or activists exposing corruption,” he said. “The second group is military personnel. Because the charges against me relate to my military service.”

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.

Poroshenko, who was president from 2014 to 2019, was in February charged with treason and for allegedly assisting a terrorist organisation. Poroshenko called the charges “politically motivated”.

He has accused the President of “authoritarianism,” claiming the government sanctioned him in an attempt to block his potential candidacy in a future election.

“I am an elected person. I have the second-biggest faction in parliament. And he thinks that he has the power not to allow me to go to the parliamentary assembly? … You are simply violating the constitution. And there is absolutely no difference [in what he is doing] from Russia,” Poroshenko told The Times in an interview.

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.

Ukraine’s constitution mandates the suspension of regular elections during wartime. Despite broad societal agreement that holding elections under these conditions is politically, financially, and logistically impractical, unease has been growing about the state of the democratic values and freedoms in Ukraine, analysts have pointed out.

“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)

“States of emergency tend to strengthen the executive and push democracy toward treacherous waters,” she added, pointing out that the Zelensky administration “has come under criticism for infringing on political checks and balances and civil rights”.

“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.”

Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, has been accused of essentially holding the role of chief minister, wielding power far in excess of his official role. Critics say his power undermines the country’s constitution.

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

Michael Bociurkiw, a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, warned that recent government actions risk undermining Ukraine’s reform agenda at a critical moment.

“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.

“Recent moves by the government — including efforts to silence critics — suggest a retreat from earlier reform commitments. This risks deterring international investors who are essential for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Equally important, millions of Ukrainians who fled the war will not return unless there is a durable peace and genuine progress on curbing corruption,” he said.

Bociurkiw pointed out that the latest government reshuffle “strongly suggests” Zelensky and his chief of staff Yermak are trying to consolidate power.

“The appointment of a relatively weak loyalist, Yulia Svydyrenko, as Prime Minister — and the recycling of familiar, often underqualified faces into top cabinet posts — hardly inspires confidence. We are already seeing early signs of erosion in Zelensky’s support base — not just from prominent figures like Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, but also from younger, once-enthusiastic influencers,” he said.

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.

The issue of corruption and accusations of attempts by Zelensky and his loyalists to consolidate power is not new, and has been ongoing even before the war started, said Dr Marina Miron, researcher at King’s College in London.

“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.

She pointed out that Yermak was “quite powerful” and “what we’re seeing now is him consolidating his power — both horizontally, but mostly vertically”.

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.”

The popular online news outlet Ukrainian Truth accusing Zelensky of “making his first, yet confident, steps towards corrupt authoritarianism”.

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.”

According to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) conducted between 14 February and 4 March, 2025, Zelensky’s approval rating rose from 57 per cent to 67 per cent after a public dispute with US President Donald Trump, after a decline in popularity in 2024.

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“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.

According to a 2024 survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), approximately 43 per cent of Ukrainians believe that democracy has deteriorated during Zelensky’s five-year term. Of those, 11 per cent attributed the decline to wartime conditions, while 28 per cent held the authorities responsible. An additional 3 per cent cited both factors.

Meanwhile, 19 per cent of respondents felt that democracy had improved, and 29 per cent said they had noticed no significant change.

Recent research by US-based think tank Freedom House found a “deterioration in the political rights and civil liberties enjoyed by Ukrainians,” citing the suspension of elections and ban on institutions linked to Russia.

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.

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