Zelensky Faces Criticism Over Effort to Rein In Corruption Agencies

New York Times

23-07-2025

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was facing growing domestic pressure on Wednesday over a measure to curb the independence of anticorruption agencies, even as he defended it as necessary to root out 'Russian influence' in the agencies.
Mr. Zelensky signed into law on Tuesday a bill limiting the independence of two investigative agencies that have been leading efforts to root out corruption. The move has been met with street protests and a rebuke from allies, and it has apparently caused divisions within his government.
The director of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, one of the most senior security officials in Ukraine's wartime leadership, posted a rare statement on domestic policy that appeared to criticize the move.
The statement, posted on Facebook on Tuesday, did not directly condemn the law, but General Budanov called for Ukraine to maintain strong 'institutions,' particularly during the war. 'I am certain that strong armed forces and institutions will save Ukraine,' he wrote. He also called for unity.
In his first public comments on the law, Mr. Zelensky posted a video statement after 1 a.m. on Wednesday calling the measure necessary for removing 'Russian influence' from the anticorruption groups. The domestic intelligence agency had on Monday searched homes of investigators, accusing some of having ties to Russia.
'The anticorruption infrastructure will continue to work, only without Russian influence,' Mr. Zelensky said. 'That must be cleansed.'
Critics say no plausible evidence has been made public of anticorruption investigators' having ties to Russia.
Several thousand protesters gathered late on Tuesday in Kyiv and other cities, despite risks of missile attacks, to protest the new law, the first significant street action against Mr. Zelensky in the three and half years since Russia's all-out invasion. Dmytro Koziatynsky, a war veteran who organized the protests, called on Ukrainians to come out again on Wednesday evening.
Mr. Zelensky's critics say the president has overstepped his authority under the martial law imposed since the Russian invasion by investigating or imposing financial restrictions on media organizations, nongovernmental groups and opposition politicians.
The weakening of the anticorruption agencies is the latest in a string of steps he has taken to consolidate his power, they say. The agencies had been investigating senior members of his government, including a deputy prime minister, Oleksiy Chernyshov, who was charged with corruption on June 23 after being accused of taking kickbacks in a real estate deal.
The Ukrainian Parliament, in which Mr. Zelensky's party has a majority, had passed the law on the same day that he signed it. The two agencies it affects are the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine and a specialized prosecutorial office that pursued its cases.
The law gives Ukraine's prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president, new power over the agencies. The two bodies were created after pro-Western street protests in 2014 and have been strongly backed by countries providing financial aid to Ukraine.
Ukraine's main Western military backers and financial supporters in the Group of 7 issued a statement expressing concerns about the law.
'We all have a shared commitment to support transparency, independent institutions, and good governance, and we value our partnerships in Ukraine to combat corruption together,' the statement on X said.
In comments that appeared to be at odds with General Budanov's statement, Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the domestic intelligence agency, voiced his support for the new law in comments to Ukrainian journalists on Tuesday.
Mr. Malyuk characterized the independent agencies as having been unconstitutional. 'Under the constitution, there can be only one general prosecutor in the country,' he said.
Oleksandr Chubko contributed reporting from Kyiv.