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'No corruption, yes to Europe': On cardboard, a Gen-Z revolution that forced Zelenskyy step back
A protest against a law that removed the independent status from two key Ukrainian anti-corruption bodies, in Kyiv, on July 23, 2025. AFP
A Gen Z-led protest that has taken over Ukraine has forced the country's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a U-turn on a controversial bill. In Ukraine, cardboard signs are being used in the anti-corruption campaign that has taken over the war-torn nation.
The bill in question would have seen the country's top independent anti-corruption bodies brought under political control, which would have made these institutions vulnerable to political sway. The cardboards marked creative and provocative placards in cities around Ukraine, in a bid to protest against the bill.
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What made these demonstrations significant was the fact that more than 69 per cent of Ukrainians supported the protests, according to the latest findings by the Gradus Research Company. These signs raised by dissenters quoted songs, pop culture references and literature, and occasionally featured explicit language.
The Gen-Z protest
What made these demonstrations interesting was the fact that it was led by groups of people aged mainly between 15 and 23. 'I've been complaining for a long time that the motivation to fight has disappeared somewhere. But I want to thank Mr. President, if it weren't for the shit that these idiots decided to arrange, I wouldn't have seen what kind of great children have grown up in Ukraine. They're worth fighting for. They've raised motivation,' Ukrainian soldier Oleksii Tsymbaliuk told Politico.
While the country is at war, Ukraine was known for a rich protest culture, where people often took to the streets to hold politicians accountable. Demonstrations have been a key feature of the country's fabric since the 1990 Revolution on Granite that preceded independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the 2004 Orange Revolution, and the 2014 Maidan Revolution.
The Cardboard Revolution that has taken over the country amidst a war is driven by youth who grew up in a country already on the path to EU integration, while immersed in TikTok filled with Ukrainian and Western pop-culture and literature.
'This is indeed a very creative and well-read protest. It is within the tradition of Ukrainian revolutions. For example, the Orange Revolution of 2004 was also very theatrical in itself, but the protesters there were playing with colour, not quotes,' Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta, director general of the National Cultural, Art and Museum Complex, Mystetskyi Arsenal," told Politico.
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Before every rally across the country, young protesters came up with new messages to send to the government. 'From a quote of Ukrainian modern poet Serhii Zhadan, 'Why the f**k do I need a system that works against me?' to the words of Vasyl Stus, Ukrainian decedent poet from the 1960s, who once said 'Those who are against dictatorship, rise!'' Ostrovska-Liuta added.
'This protest has more self-confidence and self-expression, as well as an aspect of virality. Someone's creative cardboard sign gets recreated multiple times,' Ostrovska-Liuta averred. Another powerful message featured on T-shirts that read 'People with cardboard are the source of power'.
The impact
Amid the protests and backlash from political opponents, Zelenskyy rapidly signed a bill restoring the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP).
While they were holding protests, memes and jokes helped these groups to cope with social media backlash. They also had to navigate through the attempts by foreign politicians, such as Republican US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, to use the protests to undermine Zelenskyy.
'In no way do we stand for overthrowing the government, we stand for anti-corruption reform and for protection of what the EuroMaidan revolution has fought for,' one of the demonstrators told Politico.
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After the Ukrainian parliament restored the independence of anti-corruption bodies, protesters now plan to continue rallying — this time demanding additional reforms needed for Ukraine's EU integration and to secure the foreign aid essential to its war effort.
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