Upturns and U-turns in Ukraine
A rising civic maturity, forged by war, has driven young people to protest a law weakening safeguards against corruption. A shift in values has put the president on the spot.
Young Ukrainians filled the streets of Kyiv last week to defend autonomy of anti-corruption bodies. President Zelenskyy has since heeded their call.
Reuters
Last week, Ukraine saw its first political protests since Russia鈥檚 2022 invasion. They were an eye-opener on how fast a people can reveal their civic integrity.
Over several days in most big cities, thousands of young Ukrainians took to the streets, despite the war, to demonstrate against a new law that restricts the independence of two anti-corruption agencies.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to be like Russia,鈥� one protester, Sasha Kazintseva, told The Guardian.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who came to power in 2019 on a campaign to root out corruption, quickly reversed his support of the law, which gave him powers over graft investigations. He submitted a new bill that would largely restore the autonomy of the two bodies. Parliament is expected to vote on it in coming days.
鈥淚t is important that Ukrainians are responding with such dignity,鈥� Mr. Zelenskyy said.
The president and others in the political elite may not have been aware of a shift in society鈥檚 values, especially among young people. In opinion surveys done in Ukraine for the United Nations in recent years, key values such as freedom, equality, justice, and dignity have become much more relevant. The surveys found, for example, that people have become more interested in fundamental rights and 鈥渓ess concerned about their wallets and wellbeing ... in the context of wartime uncertainty.鈥�
That growth in values includes higher support for a 鈥渓evel playing field鈥� over paternalism and for liberty over stability and personal safety. Since 2020, 鈥淭he Ukrainians have started to protect their rights by contacting the police, appealing to lawyers and the free legal aid system or local authorities more often.鈥� Among young people, 59% believe that what happens to Ukraine is their problem 鈥� an increase of 24 percentage points from 2021.
鈥淭he Ukrainian nation is rapidly maturing,鈥� said Tetiana Pechonchyk, head of a human rights group.
A 2024-2025 survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found a sharp rise in the belief of equal opportunity 鈥� that 鈥渢he state should provide equal starting conditions, and then individuals succeed through effort.鈥�
The war has helped unveil the natural volition of Ukrainians to create good governance and ensure equal rights. When such values appear in jeopardy, the new civic consciousness drives people to the streets.