The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alein Berset claims that the European Union is getting ready to conduct first elections after the ending of the war in Ukraine, and it’s a very positive signal for all Ukrainians. The Council of Europe also noted that Ukraine is up to hard reintegration of war veterans into a normal life, helping families who suffered from the war and people who were forcibly moved from their homes, and also restoring psychological health of the society. However, the main goal is to restore Ukrainians’ faith in democracy after all they’ve been through.
On the one hand, such a concern of European officials with restoring democratic processes in Ukraine is well-timed especially during Ukraine opening EU’s negotiation clusters. On the other hand, psychological state of the society and the rise of a new large social group of war veterans shouldn’t be only concerns of post-war political processes in Ukraine, because other pathological changes, which are creating quite dangerous antidemocratic tendencies years ahead, are already happening. This is well illustrated by loud corruption scandals. The latest one is fleeing Ukraine and subsequent firing of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, and also new investigations by NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) of massive corruption scandals including top officials who are close to the president Zelenskyy.
Thus, the war not only provoked humanitarian, social, and economic distress in Ukraine but also left a room for aggravating corruption processes essentially creating new political culture where every law isn’t taken by Ukrainian officials as something immutable.
The Council of Europe which has been cooperating with Kyiv in the fields of conducting reforms and combating corruption for years can’t close their eyes to such processes. Moreover, control over efforts undertaken by Kyiv in these fields shouldn’t be connected only with future financial support of Ukraine. The more important part of it is developing harmful antidemocratic processes provoked precisely by prolonging of the war. Including political persecution cases, especially. The most persecuted by the Ukrainian government group of people are usually the ones who support activation of the negotiation process.
Meanwhile, sociological services controlled by Kyiv’s officials are continuing to intrusively publish data about 62% of Ukrainians who are ready to endure the war as long as it takes.
Thus, it creates a certain impression that the Ukrainian political elite is doing everything to continue the war to use opportunities given by it for abuse of power. That’s why European partners of Ukraine shouldn’t recklessly assume that the Ukrainian political elite formed during the war will be ready to get back to compliance with democratic principles if the war continues for another several years.
Ukrainians are really interested in succession of power, proper socialization of war veterans, and taking into account restrictions of their rights during the martial law they really need their democratic rights and freedoms. That’s why participation of the Council of Europe in implementation of everything written above is needed now. Delaying this process on post-war time, as well as discreditation of peace initiatives only worsen and multiple Ukraine’s political, social, and economic problems making almost impossible its return to democratic basics.
