--- title: Volodomyr Zelensky Must Stand Up to Corruption description: Recent measures to strip Ukrainian's anti-corruption institutions of power were a mistake. Now, Zelensky must restore trust. canonical: https://time.com/7305230/zelensky-stand-up-to-corruption/ author: Jeffrey Sonnenfeld article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-07-24T16:16:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-30T13:32:59.374Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Volodomyr Zelensky Must Stand Up to Corruption og:description: Measures to strip Ukrainian's anti-corruption institutions of power were a mistake. Now, Zelensky must restore trust. og:url: https://time.com/7305230/zelensky-stand-up-to-corruption/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt16bf822b3ebc74ab/6998c890f1b082a4ae6f18e0/Ukrainian-President-Volodymyr-Zelensky.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses press og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Volodomyr Zelensky Must Stand Up to Corruption twitter:description: Measures to strip Ukrainian's anti-corruption institutions of power were a mistake. Now, Zelensky must restore trust. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt16bf822b3ebc74ab/6998c890f1b082a4ae6f18e0/Ukrainian-President-Volodymyr-Zelensky.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky Must Stand Up to Corruption > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Jeffrey Sonnenfeld](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-sonnenfeld/), [Larry Diamond](https://time.com/author/larry-jay-diamond/), [Roger Myerson](https://time.com/author/roger-myerson/) and [Steven Tian](https://time.com/author/steven-tian/) Jul 24, 2025 4:16 PM UTC  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a press conference at the Ukraine Recovery Conference on July 10, 2025 in Rome, Italy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a press conference at the Ukraine Recovery Conference on July 10, 2025 in Rome, Italy. Stefano Costantino—SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images by [Jeffrey Sonnenfeld](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-sonnenfeld/), [Larry Diamond](https://time.com/author/larry-jay-diamond/), [Roger Myerson](https://time.com/author/roger-myerson/) and [Steven Tian](https://time.com/author/steven-tian/) Jul 24, 2025 4:16 PM UTC We have watched with increasing dismay and as the government of [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky](https://time.com/7270880/zelensky-trump-putin-ukraine-endgame-interview/) has acted against political opponents, culminating in recent measures to [strip](https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-corruption-demonstrations-bill-zelenskyy-europe/33481162.html) the country’s anti-corruption institutions of power amid the [sanctioning](https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-slaps-sanctions-on-former-president-petro-poroshenko-viktor-medvedchuk/) of prominent political opponents, the[ detaining](https://www.nbcnews.com/world/ukraine/ukrainian-government-raids-anti-corruption-campaigner-raising-alarm-rcna219280) of vocal [skeptics](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/world/europe/zelensky-protests-corruption.html) on apparently specious charges, and a [pattern](https://yale.box.com/s/s2noleqxmt1qfv7gqq50cvgue2a6mpae) of democratic backsliding. President Zelensky has been lionized as a hero, but these missteps are a reminder that all leaders are susceptible to errors. Such missteps have inflamed Ukrainian civil society. Videos shared by Ukrainian anti-corruption activist leader Daria Kaleniuk show thousands of outraged protesters taking to the streets of Kyiv, in the first anti-government demonstration since the outbreak of Putin’s invasion, and what appears to be the [largest demonstration](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/07/23/ukraine-corruption-protests-zelensky-parliament/) since the Maidan Revolution of 2014, which led to the ouster of pro-Russian Putin leader Viktor Yanukovych. Capturing the sentiments of many, one Ukrainian activist, Kateryna Amelina [said](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/world/europe/zelensky-protests-corruption.html), “My husband is in the trenches and this is not what they are fighting for…this could be the destruction of 10 years of work by civil society.” These actions have provoked similar global outcry from Ukraine’s allies, including top EU leaders. Zelensky, [claims](https://euobserver.com/rule-of-law/ard908a24d) that these crackdowns are needed because anti-corruption investigations were tainted by Russian influence and were doing [Putin’s bidding](https://euobserver.com/rule-of-law/ard908a24d). Now, Ukraine’s domestic security police force has been busy [detaining](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/07/22/ukraines-security-service-arrests-anti-corruption-agents-over-alleged-kremlin-ties) anti-corruption activists on supposed “links to Russia.” These crackdowns may fracture Ukrainian unity and undermine global support at a time when Ukraine can ill-afford such mistakes. The response of the Zelensky Administration to [smear](https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-eu-concerned-about-kyivs-anti-corruption-bodies/live-73362279) anti-corruption probes as Russian propaganda is misguided and self-defeating, as many within Ukraine point out. At the same time, we do recognize the fact that there has been too much corruption pervading the Ukrainian government. Former Deputy Chief of Staff Rostyslav Shurma was ensnared in a [scandal](https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-dismisses-top/) where his brother’s company received subsidies from the Ukrainian government for solar plants in Russian-occupied territories. Former Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky was [arrested](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-court-orders-agriculture-minister-be-taken-into-custody-2024-04-26/) after documents emerged suggesting his involvement in a land grab scheme, in which he apparently led co-conspirators in seizing 1,250 land plots totaling nearly 2,500 hectares. And Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov was enveloped in a high-profile scandal where he [allegedly](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/24/ukraine-war-briefing-anti-corruption-agency-in-kyiv-accuses-deputy-pm-of-corruption) accepted bribes in return for helping a powerful developer seize valuable land in Kyiv on the cheap. The list goes on with allegations of wrongdoing in everything from [questionable privatizations](https://zn.ua/eng/beware-of-the-azerbaijanis-who-carry-out-titanium-what-is-wrong-with-the-privatization-of-umcc.html) to [embezzlement](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/28/ukraine-unearths-40-million-embezzlement-scheme-involving-its-military) to [self-dealing](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/world/europe/ukraine-weapons-politician-charged-corruption.html). With aid for Ukraine becoming a political lightning rod, sweeping credible allegations under the rug and pretending there is no problem is not the right move. Time and time again, when existential challenges beckon, Zelensky has shown he can summon the courage and clarity to meet the moment. Already, we are told that Zelensky is considering a new bill which restores some of Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure, which would be a positive first step. But much more needs to be done to restore shattered trust, and it’s not too late to right the course. Acknowledging mistakes and reversing course rather than digging in is a mark of true leadership. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7305230/zelensky-stand-up-to-corruption/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7305230/zelensky-stand-up-to-corruption/"},"headline":"Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky Must Stand Up to Corruption","datePublished":"2025-07-24T16:16:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-30T13:32:59.374Z","description":"Recent measures to strip Ukrainian's anti-corruption institutions of power were a mistake. 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