In a wartime first, thousands take to the streets in Ukraine in anti-government protest

CBC

23-07-2025

As thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets across the country on Wednesday for the second straight evening of protests, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to submit a new bill to parliament. It was an attempt to ease mounting pressure, both at home and abroad, over a new law that critics say erodes the independence of two-anti-corruption agencies.
The bill was unveiled Tuesday morning and hastily approved by the vast majority of lawmakers in Ukraine's parliament, which is controlled by Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party. The new law grants Ukraine's general prosecutor, who is appointed by the president, control over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), along with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office — both tasked with rooting out graft.
On Tuesday evening, Zelenskyy signed the bill into law, but less than 24 hours later vowed to change course after a fierce response from the public and some of Ukraine's biggest backers.
"[The government] probably thought that Ukrainian society is exhausted and doesn't consider this to be important," said Valerii Pekar, an adjunct professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School.
"But the reaction was hot and now [the government] realizes that it was a mistake."
Largest protests since February 2022
Mass rallies are prohibited under martial law in Ukraine, which began Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. But for the first time since then, large crowds, including many teens and young adults, gathered in different cities, protesting against a legislative change they believe rolls back the country's democratic values, and jeopardizes its path toward EU membership.
The law as it stands permits the general prosecutor to transfer cases away from the agencies and reassign prosecutions. Zelenskyy, in an address posted on social media Wednesday evening, says he plans to submit a new bill meant to preserve the "independence of anti-corruption institutions," after hearing people's concerns.
It was an abrupt change to his messaging from just hours earlier, when he said the new law was necessary to cleanse Ukraine's "anti-corruption infrastructure" of Russian influence.
While he had promised to deliver an action plan in two weeks, it was not enough to ease criticism among Ukrainians, who saw the move as an attempt to stunt corruption investigations against high-ranking officials. Several top officials have faced allegations of corruption, including former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, who was recently charged with abuse of power and accepting a $345,000 US kickback.
Nor was it enough to assuage Ukraine's allies, who were alarmed and taken aback by the speed at which the bill was passed.
International response
As part of its bid to join the European Union, Ukraine is required to tackle corruption. A spokesperson for the European Commission said any candidate country must meet the standards fully and that "there cannot be compromise."
CBC News has also confirmed the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development sent a letter to the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, expressing concern about the new law.
Ukrainian media reported that the organization warned it could affect future investments in the country's defence and reconstruction.
Both of the anti-graft entities targeted by the new law were set up after the Maidan protests, which began in late 2013, after pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an agreement that would have moved Ukraine toward closer integration with the EU. In February 2014, after government forces killed more than 100 protesters, Yanukovych fled the country and was later ousted.
Azad Safarov, founder of the Kyiv-based Voices of Children Charitable Foundation and a journalist, protested on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square, in 2013 and 2014. He told CBC News that at times, he was beaten by riot police.
This week, he was back out on the streets of Kyiv, holding a placard.
"I feel like I am having a flashback," said Safarov in an interview by Zoom before heading to Wednesday's protest. "Why do they think that Ukrainians will accept this after everything that happened?
"This is crazy. We have lost so many soldiers, so many friends on the frontline fighting against Russia … and fighting for our values."
Protests to continue
Before the pro-Kremlin Yanukovych government was toppled, his administration was accused of endemic corruption and widespread abuses of power. A key part of Zelenskyy's presidential campaign in 2019 was a promise to weed out corruption.
Safarov says he was baffled about why Zelenskyy would have approved this law, given that Ukrainians have been fighting against Russia for years in an effort to maintain its democratic values. Zelenskyy's move was akin to shooting himself in the foot, Safarov said, as Ukraine needs unwavering support from its Western allies in its continued fight against Russia.
Safarov also vowed that the protests will continue until people see results — despite the president's assurances that he'd submit a new bill to parliament.
"We don't believe in promises," he said, adding that in recent days, there has been a series of troubling actions targeting anti-corruption agencies and activists.
One day before the law was passed, Ukraine's security service and the general prosecutor's office carried out searches at NABU, arresting at least two individuals with suspected links to Russia, while more were conducted on other grounds, including those related to traffic offences.
The agency said the action went too far and had effectively shut down its entire mission. After the arrests, ambassadors of G7 nations in Kyiv issued a statement saying they had a "shared commitment" to uphold transparency and independent institutions, but had "serious concerns" about the crackdown.
Earlier this month, anti-corruption activist Vitaliy Shabunin was arrested and charged with fraud and evading military service. His supporters believe the charges are politically motivated because of his work exposing corrupt officials.
Support for Zelenskyy
Throughout the war, polls have suggested that while support for Zelenskyy has fluctuated, a majority of the public continues to trust him. Pekar, the adjunct professor in Kyiv, believes that will remain the case, if the president manages to quickly reverse the new law.
However, he says the events over the past two days have underlined shifting dynamics in Ukrainian society. Throughout the war, people had tempered their criticism of the government in the name of national security and social cohesion, but he says this week's rallies have opened the door toward more free speech and dissenting opinions.
He says the large, peaceful gatherings have also shattered the idea that rallies should be banned under martial law.
"Now the red line has been crossed, and I think that civil society will not go back to the way it was," Pekar said.