The Economist writes about the deficit of democracy in Ukraine and the persecution of Poroshenko

The Economist, in its article “Ukraine Faces Deepening Military, Political and Economic Problems. A Report on Ukraine 2.0,” writes about the lack of democracy in Ukraine, the persecution of political opponents, and the concentration of power.

The authors note that after the government’s attack on anti-corruption agencies in Ukraine, protests broke out, forcing the authorities to back down. “Trust between the government and society has been destroyed,” the publication quotes one of the high-ranking officials as saying.

The protests near the presidential office, the first anti-Zeleno demonstrations since the beginning of the war, became a turning point.

“There will always be a before and after,” says another senior official. “It revealed a crisis in power, a panic in the face of protest.” It was the moment when people stopped the abuse of power. Their handwritten posters not only gave the protests a name — the “cardboard revolution” — but also accused those at the top of their ranks of sins that went beyond the immediate scandal. “You are not a king,” wrote one. “If you stole less, I would bury my friends less,” said another.

Elected in 2019 by a landslide and with full control of parliament, Zelensky has more formal power than any of his predecessors. The war has allowed him to centralize even more, and his rise to cult hero status in the West has encouraged arrogance.

“Zelensky was more democratic at the beginning, but all the applause has thrown him into the void,” says another insider. “He has started to believe in fate.” Decisions now pass through a shrinking circle of trusted figures. Chief among them is Andriy Yermak, his chief of staff, a rebel whose power seems unwarranted by his experience or his mandate as an unelected official. One former minister describes Mr. Zelensky and his aide as “alter egos” who effectively run a joint presidency.

The authorities have threatened opposition media outlets and their advertisers; launched legal prosecutions of political opponents, including Petro Poroshenko, the former president; and overseen repression by the Security Service. Accusations of ties to Russia are a common tool of extortion. One industrialist tells of a colleague who was forced to pay $2 million to avoid such an accusation.

Many hoped that the July protests and the resulting reversal of presidential power could halt the abuse of power. Events since then suggest otherwise, the publication notes, suggesting that the season of scandals in Ukraine is far from over.