"Zelenskyy ordered to lock up Shabunin at Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Headquarters" - ZN.ua
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the issue of the head of the AntAC Vitalii Shabunin at a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff.
According to Censor.NET, this is stated in a statement by ZN.ua.
They are convinced that the searches by the State Bureau of Investigation of the head of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, Vitalii Shabunin, and the notification of suspicion to him are a marker event that clearly outlines the line of behaviour of the authorities before and after the attack on the Bureau of Economic Security.
"Yes, there are questions to Vitalii Shabunin. Yes, he can be too categorical and emotionally harsh. Not everyone likes his style of work, just as not everyone can show the public the results of their activities.
So, presumably, in the situation of receiving his military salary, Shabunin did not act correctly. If he did not have the legal option of not receiving it, he should have used the money to support the frontline.
Shabunin also made mistakes in his personnel lobbying - he did not always choose the best candidates. As, for example, in the case of the current Minister of Defence Rustem Umierov. Because "not stealing" is not a sufficient criterion for appointments to high government positions. These people must also be professionals, because sometimes the damage caused by incompetence is greater than that caused by corruption," the media outlet said in a statement.
At the same time, as noted, we must not forget: everything Shabunin did was not aimed at his own enrichment. This is evident from his lifestyle, family, and principles. His activities were always aimed at the benefit of society. If he made any mistakes, they were in the fight for those he did not even know. Not for "his own".
That is why everything that is happening today around the competition for the BES chairman and around Shabunin (and it is no coincidence that these events are unfolding in parallel) is not about the BES or Shabunin. It is about the long-standing, deeply hidden desire of several changes of corrupt and unprofessional authorities to deal with those who could not be destroyed before only because of the existing external support. That support was Washington. As a basis for promoting freedom of speech, the rule of law, the fight against corruption, transparent elections, building effective institutions and equality of all before the law," ZN.ua notes.
Today, when neither civil society nor the media feel clear support from the United States anymore, because Donald Trump's team is completely indifferent to the values that used to be the cornerstone, the government in Ukraine has finally allowed itself to be itself. And all these people are simply becoming what they really are - predators. Predators for whom the cage door has been opened.
"And this will affect everyone - independent media, NGOs, and the entire anti-corruption vertical: NABU, SAP, VAKS, NACP. They are next. Because now the goal is to settle scores with everything that has ever raised flags with the words: "democracy", "openness", "anti-corruption", "free elections". And the war has become a convenient backdrop for the realisation of the government's true desires.
Unfortunately, both the story of the Bureau of Economic Security and the unprecedented situation with searches of Vitaliy Shabunin without a court order cannot be attributed to the "excesses of the executor". Because every day, when Shabunin was in his unit, officers were ordered to take photos of him "at work" and send them to Bankova Street. It was about him that President Zelenskyy raised the issue at the Staff," ZN.ua adds.
The journalists of the publication are also convinced that without direct pressure from Zelenskyy, the head of the SSU, Vasyl Maliuk, would never have signed an unjustified letter to the competition commission regarding Oleksandr Tsyvinsky. However, this letter became the basis for the position of the Cabinet of Ministers, which voted for a completely arbitrary decision to cancel the results of the competition.
"This anti-democratic fish rots from the head.
While Russia is gnawing away at our villages, the authorities are gnawing away at rights and freedoms throughout the rest of the country - and therefore at Ukraine's prospects of being other than Russia," the newspaper concludes.
As a reminder, Zelenskyy's critic Shabunin was served with a notice of suspicion for military service evasion and fraud.
Earlier it was reported that the State Bureau of Investigation is conducting a search of the head of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre Vitalii Shabunin at his place of service in Chuhuiv district of Kharkiv region and at home.
As reported, the head of the AntAC said that MPs from the Servant of the People faction had registered draft law No. 13271-1, which would allow officials to avoid punishment for corruption after dismissal. They plan to vote on it next week.
He also reported that on 3 June 2025, a regular meeting of the Verkhovna Rada was held, during which theServant of the People faction supported a number of scandalous bills.
In February 2025, Shabunin announced that he was being transferred from Kyiv to the Kharkiv region. He attributed this to his criticism of the government.
