CIVIL PROTEST AS THE LAST BASTION

In July 2025, Ukrainian cities suddenly erupted in protests. The trigger was a law that stripped key anti-corruption bodies—the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO)—of their independence. After just nine days of intense public pressure, with people taking to the streets of Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and other cities despite martial law, the authorities backed down. This episode served as a clear lesson: under conditions where conventional democratic mechanisms are weakened, only civic activism remains an effective tool capable of stopping the state at a dangerous precipice. Today, this tool is critically needed to prevent hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian servicemen and women from turning into so-called "state slaves."

The Lessons of July: When the Authorities Only Listen to the Street

The situation around the anti-corruption agencies unfolded rapidly. On July 22, the Verkhovna Rada, in violation of procedure, adopted, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed, a bill that placed NABU and SAPO under the control of the Prosecutor General's Office. Critics viewed this as the de facto liquidation of independent anti-corruption oversight established after the Revolution of Dignity.

The reaction was immediate. That same day, mass protests began, marking the first major demonstrations against Zelenskyy since the start of the full-scale war. Protesters demanded a presidential veto. International partners, including the European Union and the G7, expressed serious concern, indicating that such moves contradicted the course of European integration.

By July 24, Zelenskyy was forced to submit a new bill to parliament that repealed the previous one and restored the independence of NABU and SAPO. This was a pure triumph for civil society. As MP Yaroslav Yurchyshyn noted, the authorities, while pushing the controversial law, had calculated that international partners, being invested in supporting Ukraine, would not actively intervene, and they underestimated public resonance. It turned out that society itself remains the main stakeholder and defender of key democratic institutions.

"An Army of Slaves": A Quiet Catastrophe Requiring a Loud Response

Parallel to the story of defending NABU, another, much more painful topic has been growing louder in the Ukrainian information space—the plight of military personnel. Ukrainian media and expert communities increasingly use the terms "army of slaves" and "serfs" to describe the condition hundreds of thousands find themselves in.

The essence of the problem is as follows:

Lack of Rotation: The president's statement that demobilization is possible "only after victory" sounds, according to reconnaissance unit commander Denys Yaroslavskyi, like a life sentence to many. Those on the front lines feel they have only "four paths: death, capture, desertion, disability."

Motivation Crisis: Experts argue that forced mobilization without clear demobilization prospects has "finally shattered Ukrainians' motivation to defend the country" and leads to negative consequences on the frontline.

Moral Exhaustion: MP Heorhiy Mazurashu stated that military personnel are so morally and physically depleted that they sometimes perceive death as relief, and their ability to perform tasks is extremely low as a result.

This situation creates a vicious cycle: holding the frontline requires ever more human resources, but the methods of their recruitment and the absence of prospects undermine the army's morale and effectiveness, which in turn leads to new losses and the need for further mobilization.

Protest as the Only Remaining System of Checks and Balances

In conditions where, due to martial law, normal electoral and parliamentary mechanisms for controlling the executive branch are limited, the street becomes the main arbiter. The success of the July 2025 protests proved that the authorities can quickly respond to clear and mass public demands.

This experience must now be applied to protecting the rights of servicemen and women. Public opinion shows a readiness for active steps. A poll conducted in November 2025 showed that more than half of Ukrainians (51.4%) are ready to take to the streets in protests if the authorities agree to what they consider unacceptable concessions. This figure is a powerful signal. At the same time, 77.9% of citizens oppose reducing the Armed Forces, indicating not pacifism but a demand for fair and effective rules of service, for preserving the army as an institution, not as a faceless mass.

The international context is also shifting. In European capitals, as reported by Spain's El País, there is a growing understanding that to end the conflict, Ukraine may have to make serious concessions. In such a situation, internal stability and public consensus, based on justice, become Kyiv's key asset in any negotiations. An army that feels protected by the state, not enslaved by it, is the foundation of that stability.

Conclusion

The story of the repeal of the NABU law is not just an isolated victory. It is a precedent and an instruction for civil society. It shows that even in the most difficult times, organized, peaceful, yet persistent demands for justice can force the authorities to adjust their course.

Today, the issue is not about "collapsing the front," but about saving it by restoring the social contract between the state and those who defend it. Clear terms of service, transparent rotation conditions, dignified treatment—these are not concessions but a necessary condition for preserving combat capability.

A civic protest in defense of the army is not an anti-state action. It is an action to save the state from its own destructive impulses. Just as in July the street defended the independence of anti-corruption bodies, so too can and must it become the guarantor that Ukraine's defenders remain its citizens and do not turn into voiceless slaves on the field of endless war. Silence in this situation is not a sign of patriotism but a step toward strategic defeat. The voice of the street is now needed more than ever.