‘Why are they attacking us?’ Ukraine’s anti-corruption campaigners face slurs, surveillance and intimidation

Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak and foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba listen while Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a meeting in Kyiv with US officials. Critics in Ukraine say Zelenskiy fails to grasp the role or importance of non-governmental experts and public oversight.

The state bureau of investigation recently opened cases against Shabunin for allegedly dodging an army call-up and forging a document. He says both claims are nonsense, because he joined Ukraine’s territorial defence force a day afterThe claims against Shabunin were initiated and amplified by Telegram social media channels that target journalists and campaigners who report on high-level corruption, while staunchly defending president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his allies.

Video posted shortly afterwards on Telegram showed them banging on the door, shouting abuse and pinning up notices calling Nikolov a traitor and demanding that he join the military. The visit came shortly after he compared Zelenskiy to a draft-dodger for failing to take responsibility for telling the public bad news about the war.

“I’m sure that people connected with the authorities ordered it, because we are depriving them of huge sums of money. We are making them poorer, and they want to go on eating well and dressing well,” he adds. As with the attempt to intimidate Yuriy Nikolov, the Bihus.info case backfired on the authorities. Ukrainian and international rights groups and western officials denounced spying on the press, and the head of the SBU, Vasyl Maliuk, had to address the issue in parliament and in a meeting with ambassadors of G7 states in Kyiv.

The pressure remains, however, forcing senior figures in politics, the security services and the military to answer questions from a Ukrainian society that detests abuse of power – seeing it as a defining characteristic of Russia’s regime – and western states that provide the nation with vital economic and military support.

Civil society leaders trace the problem to Zelenskiy’s office, where they say the president fails to grasp the role or importance of non-governmental experts and public oversight, and some powerful officials still prefer to work in the shadows, shunning calls for more accountability and transparency.

Volodymyr-Zelenskiy

Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

I don’t have children, and I never will, and I wouldn’t change that for the worldAuthor Caroline Magennis explains why she is among the growing number of childfree women
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Owen Doyle: The Six Nations was good, but France should have finished fifthWe need to know exactly why Ireland’s Tadgh Furlong was denied a try against Scotland
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Conor Glass would have absolutely loved to go up against Dublin at Celtic ParkDerry skipper on why he sat out the Dublin game and picking their fights.
Source: IrishMirror - 🏆 4. / 98 Read more »

Why We Should All Be Celebrating Inchstones, Not Just MilestonesWhy We Should All Be Celebrating Inchstones, Not Just Milestones Why We Should All Be Celebrating Inchstones, Not Just Milestones
Source: stellarmagazine - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »

Vet explains why dogs eat grass and says it could be a warning signDr. Marty Goldstein, who has appeared on shows such as Oprah and Martha Stewart, says that there are three major signs that we as pet owners need to be on the lookout for
Source: RSVPMagazine - 🏆 7. / 76 Read more »