Zelenskyy faces pressure to step down

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could soon be forced to step down, as the most significant corruption scandal of his 6½-year tenure implicates his political allies. The embezzlement and kickback scheme connected to the state-owned nuclear power company Energoatom already prompted the resignations of Ukraine’s energy minister and justice minister last week. Zelenskyy’s opponents who had previously kept a low profile are becoming more vocal. Opposition parties, media outlets, activists and anticorruption agencies are now coalescing into the first serious anti-Zelenskyy movement since Russia’s war on Ukraine went full-scale in early 2022. The deepening opposition threatens Zelenskyy’s parliamentary majority, as lawmakers leave his party to sit as independents, weakening the legislative agility that has been vital to him during the war. “The only way forward for Zelenskyy is essentially getting rid of everyone” on Ukraine’s wartime leadership team, political scientist Balazs Jarabik told the New York Times on Wednesday. This weakens Ukraine at a crucial time in the war and could complicate relations with Europe and jeopardize the continued flow of Western support.