Firsov on Shabunin’s suspicion: "This is blatant political persecution, which tomorrow could turn into system"
Yegor Firsov, the commander of a platoon of attack drones of the 109th TDF Brigade, commented on the suspicion and searches of AntAC head Vitalii Shabunin, calling such actions of law enforcement agencies "outright political persecution".
The military wrote about this on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.
"The case of Shabunin showed that every military man is vulnerable today if he has the courage to criticise the authorities. "There is always an article in the Criminal Code for a person." There are a dozen articles in the current Criminal Code. The guys and I once calculated what we could all be easily "locked up" for. We are at war, losing our lives and health. These are the most difficult times for the Ukrainian people since Stalin's repressions and the Holodomor. All this is to avoid becoming Russia or Belarus, where there is no de facto opposition, and people are imprisoned for liking a social media post. We used to fight "for the party!", "for Stalin!". Today, times have changed: we are not fighting for the president or the 'parliamentary majority', we are fighting to preserve democracy and freedom - the very reason Putin attacked Ukraine," Firsov wrote.
The military stressed that if there is less democracy and freedom in the country, the question of motivation arises. According to him, the course of hostilities and the situation in the rear depends on it.
"The question arises: what is the goal? What should we suffer or die for? For the officials who resort to repression to prevent criticism of their government?" - Definitely NO... You can be a supporter of Vitaliy Shabunin, you can criticise him - this is actually what freedom and democracy are about. But what has happened looks like outright political persecution, which may turn into a system tomorrow. Here's why it looks like that. This is exactly what it is - direct political persecution!" Firsov said.
He also noted that for the first time since the Maidan and the war, he feels that "people are afraid to speak out in public, to like and repost".
"This is the first symptom of authoritarianism, and an alarming trend in society - when you start to be afraid to express your position. And the complaint here is not to those who imprison (because they always act with the tacit consent of the majority), but to those who remain silent. The nature of power is such that it is always not enough for those in it. And it is civil society that prevents politicians from slipping into autocracy. Putin did not create the Russian people as they are. It was the Russian people who created Putin's killer, who gave legitimacy to his actions. But we are not them... Actually, this is what we are fighting for," the soldier stressed.
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 the Servant of the People faction supported several 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.
