Zelensky, you are in big trouble

Vitaly Shabunin has been fighting corruption in Ukraine for many years. He criticizes the powerful, initiates reforms and heads the Center for the fight against corruption.

But the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) is now openly speaking against him. Shabunin, who joined the army in 2022, is accused of allegedly leaving his post on the battlefield without permission and, despite this, receiving military pay for months. In addition, he is accused of improperly using a 20-year-old off-road vehicle. Vitaly Shabunin and his team reject those accusations and call on DBR to "apologize for the lies".

Criticism due to the brutal treatment of investigators

"These searches without prior court orders and specific suspicions are absurd," says Daria Kaleniuk, who together with Shabunin founded the Center for the Fight against Corruption and is the executive director of that organization.

"It is arbitrariness and political persecution because of the clear views of Vitaly Shabunin and the Center for the Fight against Corruption," she claims.

Kaleniuk was present when masked men ransacked her colleague's house. She recorded the event on her phone and reported that Shabunin's family was initially denied the right to a lawyer.

"Even his children's tablets were taken away," she says. Considering the accusations - even if they are founded - she considers such a procedure completely inappropriate.

In 2019, Zelensky promised the end of corruption - and today?

All this, Kaleniuk is convinced, is targeted intimidation and represents serious accusations against President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"It is an important signal sent to non-governmental organizations that are critical of the authorities, but also of the soldiers. The message is: If you publicly criticize Zelensky and his presidential cabinet, we can destroy you using the entire apparatus of repression," says the activist.

Evgen Kotenko / UkrInform / Profimedia

"In the current war situation, this further narrows the space for democracy and democratic institutions."

During the 2019 presidential campaign, Volodymyr Zelensky met with Shabunin and presented himself as a candidate who wants to put an end to corruption. Today, however, more and more people doubt that it really lives up to that promise.

Criticism from abroad

International observers are expressing concern over the whole case.

"The way Shabunin is being treated and the way the investigation is being conducted against him seems like political persecution, like revenge for someone who stood up to the powerful," says Ukraine expert and political advisor Mattia Nelles.

"It raises serious questions and has very little to do with Ukraine's European path."

Most representatives of civil society are convinced that Shabunin is trying to be silenced because of his harsh criticism. A total of 90 non-governmental organizations addressed President Zelensky with an open letter.

Their demand is: the judiciary must not be politically abused. When asked by the German public service ARD, the presidential cabinet refused to comment on the accusations and claimed that it had nothing to do with the actions of the State Bureau of Investigation.

The indignation is all the greater because accusations are increasingly being made against Zelensky himself - especially those related to corruption. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) suspects one of the president's closest associates, the former minister for regional development Oleksiy Chernyshov. Instead of declaring about this issue, Zelensky simply abolished that ministry.

Brussels is closely monitoring events

In Brussels, members of the European Parliament such as Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann from the ranks of the German Liberals (FDP) are closely following the developments: "For countries that are candidates for membership in the European Union, such as Ukraine, the rule of law is a non-negotiable criterion."

President Zelensky must take care to maintain the democratic course of his country.

"The European Union must not lose sight of the internal political events in Ukraine," says Strack-Zimmermann.

"We are following what is happening, because respect for rights and civil liberties simply must be ensured," she told ARD.

"Progress in the fight against corruption is the expectation of Ukrainian society," Nelles believes.

The majority of people demand the necessary reforms - and that decisively: People in Ukraine "would never allow one Zelensky or anyone else to rise to the level of an autocratic ruler", he is convinced.

The investigation against Shabunin is still ongoing. The activist returned to his unit in Kharkiv. He still wants to defend Ukraine - against Russian aggression from the outside and corruption from the inside.

The struggle of civil services

At the same time, another scandal is shaking the Ukrainian public these days. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), together with the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor, conducted dozens of raids - against NABU investigators. The allegations are serious: Some of the investigators allegedly passed information to Russian intelligence, including data on Ukrainians living in Russia.

Profimedia

They are also said to have helped several Ukrainian businessmen flee the war-torn country. Others were accused of traffic accidents. NABU stated in a statement that at least 70 searches were conducted, and as many as 15 employees were affected. Director of NABU Semen Kryvonos interrupted his business trip in Great Britain.

According to the SBU, an investigator from the elite NABU unit was arrested and charged with espionage for Russia. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison. He allegedly gave classified information to the former bodyguard of ousted president Viktor Yanukovych, who now lives in Russia.

Revenge of the President?

The media suspect that the raids are President Zelensky's reaction to the anti-corruption investigations conducted by NABU and SAP against former minister Chernyshov, who is considered one of his closest associates.

According to Transparency International, Ukraine is still considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. That organization describes the latest actions as an attempt to dismantle the anti-corruption system and states that the measures are unacceptable.

"We call on President Volodymyr Zelensky to publicly guarantee the independence of anti-corruption bodies and call on the SBU and the Prosecutor's Office to stop illegal pressure," the statement concludes.