Kazarin: Corruption scandals show Ukraine's anti-graft system is working

Ukrainian journalist and sergeant of the 104th Brigade's 2nd Unmanned Systems Battalion, Pavlo Kazarin, said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda that recent corruption scandals — including the so-called "Dynasty" case, former energy minister Herman Halushchenko and other episodes — indicate not that the state is broken, but that Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions are functioning. He compared it to a fever: painful, but a sign the body is fighting illness.

Kazarin said what is more dangerous than corruption itself is the effect it has on public perception — the sense that the ruling elite operates under different rules than ordinary citizens, including soldiers. He noted that war forges a collective identity, and corruption undermines soldiers' belief that the front and the rear are working toward a shared goal.

Avoided topics

According to Kazarin, President Volodymyr Zelensky avoids three sensitive subjects: mobilization and service terms, military pay, and corruption scandals. He argued the political class is currently more focused on winning the next election than on ensuring the country survives long enough to hold one.

Protests and Fedorov's dismissal

Kazarin also discussed the so-called "Cardboard Maidan" protests of the past two years, which he said show the street has become a mechanism for holding power accountable. The most recent protest followed Zelensky's dismissal of defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Kazarin said the public backlash was less about Fedorov personally and more about a feeling of "stolen hope" — Fedorov had earlier built a reputation through digitalization successes, and his sudden, unexplained removal left many confused. Kazarin added that as long as the design of state governance remains unchanged, jailing a minister every year will not solve the underlying corruption problem.