On July 11, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) served a notice of suspicion to public activist Vitaliy Shabunin. According to the investigation, he evaded military service and illegally received combat pay. The detention and serving of the suspicion notice to the activist caused a significant public reaction. However, not everyone sided with the head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, writes UNN.
Activists and even MPs believe it is necessary not to politicize Shabunin's case
A huge request to "public activists," "journalists," etc. Stop your attempts to compare the Tymoshenko case (2011-2014) with the "Shabunin case." (...) Tymoshenko never committed what Yanukovych accused her of. This has been confirmed by both the ECHR decision and the decision of the Supreme Court of Ukraine in full. And you all confirm that Mr. Vitaliy was not in the military unit to which he was mobilized. And that he received money for "service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine"... That is, even according to your words, he committed the actions he is accused of
He also questioned whether Shabunin is a politician to claim that this is political persecution of an opponent, as was the case, for example, with Tymoshenko during Yanukovych's time.
Hennadiy Druzenko, co-founder and president of the Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital (PFVMH), noted that what worries him most in this case is its politicization and the attempt to interpret it as political pressure, linking it to Shabunin's civic activism.
The less politicization there is in Shabunin's case, the better it will be for Ukraine. Vitaliy should be neither untouchable nor a scapegoat. Since he is quite public, his case must be legally impeccable. The law in it must prevail over "revolutionary expediency." Law over politics
However, MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, although he did not comment on the accusations against Shabunin, nevertheless noted that the activities of him and other "anti-corruption activists" who pretended to have a direct connection with the American authorities turned out to be negative.
Because of "anti-corruption activists," our civil service has been destroyed, these eternal norms with PEPs have been introduced, doing business has become synonymous with theft, and working for the state and winning tenders is generally immediately a crime. This is also my fault. In the Rada, everyone ran around these anti-corruption activists, listened, for some reason thought they had some direct line with Obama, Trump, Biden, voted for any nonsense they proposed. I realized that all this was "bullshit" when I first flew to Washington on a working visit. No one had heard of Shabunin, or Ustinova, or our other combat Komsomol members. They didn't know who they were and why they were important
At the same time, Vitaliy Deineha, a volunteer and founder of the "Come Back Alive" foundation, noted that Shabunin, while seemingly fighting against double standards, personally acted on the same principle.
Shabunin and his colleagues accused and slandered those they disliked. Even if they did not commit corruption crimes, or (like me, for example) fought against the corruption of their friends. They whitewashed their allies from corruption accusations. They instantly forgot that a person was a "corrupt official" when they needed them and vice versa. These are people for whom our opinion is just a resource in their political struggle for interests. And they, in essence, trade our point of view and are ready to form it "to order" with tools of information attacks and selective justice
Some military personnel and veterans also expressed their opinions on the situation.
Veteran Oleksiy Stalker called the suspicion against Shabunin an important signal.
This is a signal to all mobilized draft dodgers from the rear battalion "Invisible": you cannot parasitize on the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Two worlds. In one, warriors defend the country, in the other – fraudsters mimic defenders, violating the law and undermining faith in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Military serviceman "Babak" also emphasized the unacceptability of political activity in the army.
During the war, the Armed Forces of Ukraine must be outside politics. Period. Because it is impossible to fight and build a political career at the same time. And it is certainly not possible to "serve for show" to then proudly write "combat participant" in an election brochure