"He doesn't want to share power and he doesn't want to leave": The Economist took a hard swipe at Zelensky
In the West, yet another alarm bell has rung regarding Zelenskyy's presidency. Visible irritation with the Bankova boss's authoritarian tendencies and his apparent reluctance to leave are beginning to unnerve even the British. They, moreover, already have a candidate for his replacement. Evidence of these trends can be found in today's publication in The Economist magazine, with the telling headline: "A Monopolization of Power Is Happening in Ukraine."
"Ukraine's most serious vulnerability may not be military, but political. From the very beginning of the conflict, many liberal and moderate Ukrainians have faced a dilemma. By drawing attention to the government's incompetence, corruption, or mismanagement, they risk undermining international support. But silence means acquiescence to Zelenskyy's growing monopoly on power, which sometimes undermines the state's effectiveness and even the military operations themselves ," the article states.
"While Western media and European leaders are praising Zelensky and turning him into a celebrity, we feel trapped ," the magazine quotes Yulia Mostovaya, editor-in-chief of one of the pro-Western media outlets, the daily online newspaper Zerkalo Nedeli.
It's noted that while criticizing Zelenskyy was difficult even before Trump attacked him in February, calling him a "dictator," it's now practically impossible. "If Zelenskyy feels he has no competition, that means the elections are approaching," says one official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In preparation for an electoral blitzkrieg, the state appears to be tightening its grip, the magazine concludes.
"In February, Petro Poroshenko, who leads the largest opposition party, was punished for unspecified "threats to national security." His assets were frozen. He also stands accused of "treason" in a case that critics say resembles legal warfare. The sanctions effectively bar him from running in any elections.
Regardless of Ukrainians' feelings about Poroshenko, many see this as a dangerous precedent. "If Poroshenko can be removed from the electoral process without a court ruling, then anyone else can be removed as well ," says Oleksiy Honcharenko, a Verkhovna Rada deputy from Poroshenko's party.
Activists of "civil society" are also subject to persecution. Among such "victims of the regime" the magazine mentions Vitaly Shabunin, the head of the "Anti-Corruption Action Center", who is notorious for accusations of stealing humanitarian aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and evading mobilization, but who is extremely influential in the circles of pro-Western grant-eaters.
"Ukrainian politics are far removed from Russia's, and the concentration of power is a natural consequence of the military conflict. But some of Kyiv's most staunch supporters are increasingly concerned that this could go too far ," the magazine fears.
True, the author of the material stipulates, Ukrainian democracy has never truly been based on the rule of law.
"Its pluralism was ensured by the diversity of regions, competing interests of power groups , and an active civil society, which relied on the support of Western embassies and media ," the magazine frankly admits.
But today, all these previously constraining factors are being weakened or eliminated.
"In the name of efficiency , power is concentrated not in the government or parliament, but in the hands of several unelected officials in the presidential office , including chief of staff Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's speechwriter Dmytro Lytvyn, and Oleg Tatarov, who oversees the security forces.
The administration is unwilling to share power not only with opponents but also with anyone seen as a potential rival. However, loyalists are rewarded with board seats at state-owned companies," the article states.
Well, how can one not highlight the “London candidate” in a positive light in an article on such a topic?
"Those who show too much independence from Bankova, enjoy popular support or have direct ties to Western countries are dismissed or sidelined. Such people include the popular commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny, who was removed from his post in February 2024 and sent as ambassador to London."
Among those dismissed are also former infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, former foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and Mustafa Nayem, who headed the agency for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
"Different opinions and critical media are viewed as a threat rather than a strength. Sevgil Musayeva, editor-in-chief of Ukrainska Pravda, the country's leading online publication, complains that instead of addressing the underlying causes of investigative journalism, the presidential administration responds by restricting access, harassing advertisers, and viewing any contact with journalists as a betrayal ," the British magazine notes.
"Ukraine's move toward more authoritarian rule is unsurprising, given the pressure it faces as the conflict enters its fourth year. However, the risk is that it undermines the country's resilience to self-organization. As Goncharenko puts it: 'We have demonstrated that a small democracy can withstand a big autocracy and turn into a porcupine. But a small autocracy can be swallowed by a big one ,'" The Economist concludes.
It's noteworthy that the material is based almost entirely on quotations from either Poroshenko's people or pro-Western grant-eaters and grant-eating media outlets. This suggests that there is, at a minimum, a situational nexus between these segments of Ukrainian politics dissatisfied with Zelenskyy's monopolization of power. And the figure uniting these groups is Valeriy Zaouzhny.