Force pressure, manipulation, media attack: how authorities shape discredit of Shabunin and AntAC – media
The Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) works at the intersection of advocacy, investigative journalism, and public pressure. The case of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) pressuring Vitalii Shabunin, head of AntAC, based on trumped-up charges, is a perfect illustration of how the system tries to "chew up" those who interfere with filling the pockets of individuals close to the president during the war.
This is stated in a report by the ZMINA publication, Censor.NET informs.
The organization promotes anti-corruption changes at the legislative level, monitors the transparency of competitions for key state bodies, and regularly brings cases involving high-ranking officials into the public sphere. Their principle remains unchanged: corruption has specific perpetrators and specific decisions, so they must be discussed openly.
Over the years of activity, Vitalii Shabunin and the AntAC team have participated in many key anti-corruption processes — from launching new institutions to protecting the independence of already established bodies. They publicly responded to the disruption of competitions in the anti-corruption prosecutor's office, raised issues of political influence on investigative structures, and highlighted high-profile scandals, particularly those related to public procurement during the war.
- Anti-corruption activists work with topics where there is always a political and financial price. They intervene in processes that traditionally remained closed – personnel appointments, access to resources, and control over law enforcement agencies. According to AntAC's own assessments, their activities have repeatedly faced resistance from politicians, law enforcement officers, and representatives of the judicial system who were directly affected by these changes.
Along with their influence, the number of attacks on the organization grew. Last year, AntAC stated that criminal cases against the head of the organization were an attempt to pressure and discredit years of anti-corruption work. Similar statements were made earlier: back in 2016, the organization reported pressure from the Prosecutor General's Office due to participation in reforming the law enforcement system.
From criticism to criminal cases: the evolution of conflicts surrounding AntAC and Shabunin
The history of conflicts surrounding Vitalii Shabunin and the Anti-Corruption Action Center does not look like one continuous conflict. It consists of separate episodes that took place in different years but together form a clear pattern — with repeating scenarios, similar instruments of pressure, and predictable consequences. Each new stage began with a specific reason, but then developed according to a familiar scheme: escalation, personalization of the conflict, and scaling of the information campaign.
Public criticism of high-ranking officials, including representatives of the then-authorities, often became the starting point for new attacks. Subsequently, allegations of misappropriation of grant funds appeared, as well as attempts to question the reputation and integrity of the activist himself.
One of the first high-profile scandals involving the chairman of the AntAC board occurred in 2017. At that time, a conflict with pro-Russian blogger and commentator Vsevolod Filimonenko escalated into a criminal case against Vitalii Shabunin — he was accused of inflicting bodily harm on Filimonenko.
Criticism of Zelenskyy
The second scandal occurred in 2020 — but in a different dimension. In July, unidentified individuals set fire to Shabunin's house near Kyiv, and at the end of the year, explosive devices were found near his relatives' homes. These events triggered an international reaction and became a signal: the pressure went beyond the information space and moved into the physical plane. At the same time, investigations into the attacks yielded no tangible results, which only intensified the sense of impunity.
Following this, the conflict moved into a more complex phase — a combination of political criticism and media pressure. In 2019–2021, Shabunin actively criticized the new government, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for decisions in the field of anti-corruption policy. In response, the rhetoric against the activist himself intensified: he was accused of political bias, and AntAC's activities were increasingly presented as part of a "political game."
The third and most large-scale scandal began after the start of the full-scale invasion and became particularly acute in 2024–2025. Despite the fact that Shabunin was mobilized into the military in 2022, criminal proceedings were opened against him. The investigation claimed that he allegedly did not perform his service properly and received a salary while being outside the unit.
"If you look at this chronology holistically, it reveals not a chaotic set of conflicts, but a consistent model. Each stage has its function: first — finding or creating a pretext, then — personalization through criminal or public accusations, then — scaling through information channels and consolidation in the form of a long-term narrative. Most importantly, each new scandal does not arise from scratch but relies on previous ones, gradually forming a stable image that outlives the events themselves," the journalists noted.
"Instructions" for discrediting activists
According to ZMINA, the scenario for information campaigns against AntAC and Shabunin is always the same:
- Search for a pretext, such as fabricated "evasion of service" or the leak of personal photos from searches.
- Media wave. Anonymous Telegram trash channels always simultaneously explode with fabricated headlines about the "lack of integrity of activists." For example, recently, these channels even referenced 2014, claiming that Shabunin allegedly spent "grant money on a mansion." In reality, Vitalii never hid the existence of the house, which the family spent years earning for. It is listed in his declarations. Moreover, in 2020, it was this very house of Vitalii’s family that they tried to burn down. The police practically did not investigate the arson case: the perpetrators were "not found."
- Force pressure. The SBI or the prosecutor's office opens cases that hang in the air for years without evidence but create the necessary "background" for commissioned information campaigns.
The goal of this performance is the trumped-up discredit of those who expose corruption so that people stop paying attention to the schemes themselves, the publication emphasizes.
Who is driving these scandals?
The question of who exactly is behind the attacks on Shabunin and the Anti-Corruption Action Center remains open in many episodes. There is no direct evidence of a centralized "client" for most information campaigns in the public domain. At the same time, the combination of facts and public statements allows for outlining a circle of groups that may be interested in discrediting anti-corruption activists, as well as understanding the logic of their actions.
Primarily, this refers to political elites and individual officials who are directly affected by AntAC's activities.
Another group consists of politically affiliated media and public speakers who actively join in spreading criticism. A separate segment is anonymous channels, primarily on Telegram, which regularly publish materials about anti-corruption activists. They often become the "primary source" of information (albeit a very dubious one) that subsequently enters the broader media space.
