There Is No Democracy in Ukraine — And That’s by Design

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
— H.L. Mencken

For over three decades, Ukraine has officially branded itself a "young democracy." International donors, Western institutions, and domestic elites alike have repeated this mantra in countless conferences, grant applications, and Twitter threads. But strip away the rhetoric and examine the structure, and one arrives at a sobering conclusion: there is no real democracy in Ukraine. And that’s not a glitch — it’s a feature.

Electoral Theater Without Representation

Since the abolition of single-member districts in 2019, Ukrainian voters no longer elect individuals to represent them. They vote for party brands — glossy, ideologically hollow constructs owned, funded, and managed by financial-industrial groups (FIGs). The transition from mixed electoral system to full proportionality was marketed as a move toward European standards. In reality, it has functionally erased the last traces of representative politics.

Ask a Ukrainian citizen to name their direct parliamentary representative today. Most can't. Because they don't have one.

Who Owns the Parties?

Follow the money. Political parties in Ukraine are not grassroots movements but strategic investments made by oligarchs, business clans, and allied media conglomerates. Every major party is either:

• directly controlled by a tycoon,

• backed by a coalition of economic interests,

• or created as a spoiler to siphon votes and maintain the illusion of choice.

The electorate doesn’t choose between competing visions for the country — they choose between rival corporate boards fighting for control over state assets. Parliament is not a chamber of public deliberation. It’s a privatized battlefield, occasionally interrupted by speeches.

Where Is the Demos?

In ancient Greek, demos meant "the people." In Ukraine, the demos is a fig leaf — rolled out for elections, then folded away. Voters are not decision-makers; they are mere instruments in factional wars. Their role is to help one FIG outmaneuver another. That’s it. Once elections are over, citizens return to the sidelines — disenfranchised, depoliticized, and disillusioned.

Participation ends at the ballot box. Influence ends at the donor dinner.

A System Designed to Exclude

Ukraine’s political architecture is not broken. It is deliberately engineered to exclude the public from power. From closed party lists to opaque campaign financing and captured media ecosystems, every mechanism ensures that true accountability remains impossible. Civil society remains active, brave, even heroic — but powerless in the face of institutionalized elite control.

Western partners praise Ukraine’s democratic "resilience" while often ignoring the elephant in the room: Ukraine is an oligarchy wearing a democratic mask.

Reform? Not Without a Reckoning

There can be no true democratic reform in Ukraine without confronting the monopolization of politics by private capital. That means rethinking:

• campaign financing,

• party registration laws,

• public media access,

• and the return of direct representation through independent constituencies.

Until then, what Ukraine practices is not democracy — but competitive oligarchy with periodic elections to sanctify it.

If democracy means government by the people, for the people, Ukraine has a long way to go — and no amount of party rebranding will change that.