Editorial: Right now, Ukraine’s democracy risks a Russian-style backslide

While fighting a war of survival against Russia, Ukraine must not turn into its authoritarian neighbor.

As Ukraine’s main independent English-language media outlet, we have a duty to acknowledge and expose this threat.

A string of recent events indicate that the Ukrainian leadership is increasingly circumventing democratic institutions and sabotaging the rule of law.

Chief among these events is a criminal investigation against Ukraine’s best-known anti-corruption activist Vitaliy Shabunin.

Shabunin, co-founder of the country’s leading anti-corruption watchdog, is officially under investigation for draft evasion. In reality, Shabunin volunteered to join the military in the first days of the full-scale invasion, and while serving, continued his anti-corruption advocacy, spending some of his time in Kyiv to continue his efforts. Now, Ukraine’s law enforcement — the system Shabunin has been advocating to reform — is claiming Shabunin was evading military service.

The case was opened a while ago, but authorities escalated it last week, searching Shabunin’s home in Kyiv and his military base near the front line. Their chief item of interest? The activist’s phone.

Everything about how this case is being handled suggests that its purpose is to persecute an enemy, not to execute justice.

So what made the activist an enemy?

Shabunin and his watchdog, the Anti-Corruption Action Center, have spearheaded Ukraine’s civil society’s drive for reforms and the eradication of corruption for over a decade. They have been advocating for setting up the existing anti-corruption institutions and reforming law enforcement. If you ever heard that Ukraine boasts a “robust civil society” — they are who the expression is about, among others.

President Volodymyr Zelensky himself recognized that — in 2019, when he was running for presidency, Zelensky sat down with Shabunin in a public meeting to discuss the need to eradicate corruption. That alliance ended fast, and the activist has since consistently criticized Zelensky’s top officials and the president himself.

Shabunin has repeatedly criticized Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and his most controversial deputy, Oleh Tatarov.

Lately, Shabunin focused on calling out Ukraine’s defense ministry, blaming it for ineffective procurement of weapons for the Ukrainian army and failure to scale up defense production.

Does a vocal position against government inefficiency and corruption make one an enemy of state? It does only in one case — when the leadership prizes its own survival and comfort over the interests of the state they rule.

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.

In doing so, Zelensky not only threatens Ukraine’s democratic future — he gives a precious gift to the enemies of Ukraine who are waiting to see our country slip, and our society divided.

If he sanctioned the crackdown on Shabunin, Zelensky must back out before it’s too late. If he didn’t, he needs to have a close look at the one who did, because that person isn’t working in Ukraine’s best interest.

The persecution of Shabunin isn’t a standalone case. It follows other events that show that Ukraine’s leadership is keen to bend the rules and get away with it. Last week, the government scandalously rejected an independently selected head of the agency that investigates white-collar crime, delaying the much-needed reboot of the controversial agency in order to find a more preferable candidate — and undoubtedly, one who’s easier to control.

A whole other problem is the weaponization of the National Security and Defense Council — the body that issues sanctions against both Ukrainians and foreigners. Instead of an extraordinary tool to protect the security of Ukraine, sanctions now appear to be used as an arbitrary extrajudiciary tool to crack down on opponents. The most famous target has been ex-President Petro Poroshenko, Zelensky’s main domestic political opponent. As controversial and questionable as Poroshenko’s activities may be, he should face actual justice, not arbitrary sanctions.

Other worrying signals include signs of pressure campaigns on independent media.

While proving effective in securing weapons and support for Ukraine internationally, President Zelensky has a duty at home as well — to uphold and defend democratic institutions.

There is another entity with a duty, which has been surprisingly silent. The diplomatic community, especially the G7, used to be a reactive watchdog for rule of law and democracy in Ukraine, welcoming reforms and denouncing anti-democratic measures, like persecutions of the press. However, the G7 embassies in Ukraine have been silent on Shabunin. Their last statement welcomed the selection of the Bureau of Economic Security head — not a word from them in over a week since he was rejected by the government.

It all boils down to this: The war can’t be a pretext for undermining Ukraine’s democracy — as well as for not calling out power abuse.

Selective justice and persecution of political opponents are incompatible with the country that Ukraine is fighting to be.

We always say that this war is about more than territories. “It’s a clash of two worlds, two polar sets of values,” we wrote in one of our first editorials ever, the words that got quoted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a speech in the European Parliament.

This “set of values” aren't empty words. They certainly aren’t for Ukrainian defenders, who are bleeding for a free and democratic Ukraine, not for an authoritarian one.

Both Ukrainian leadership, and those who have their ear, have to remember that — and do their part in defending these values.