Why Zelensky is under fire over 'corrupt authoritarianism' | The i Paper |
The Ukrainian President is accused of leveraging martial law to sideline political rivals
Zelensky was once hailed across European capitals as a symbol of democratic resilience and heroic defiance in the face of Russian aggression.
... 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.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak have been accused of trying to consolidate power (Photo: Remo Casilli/Reuters)
"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".
How Corrupt Can Anyone Get ... No Peace ☮️
