Zelenskyy faces toughest battle as Ukraine protests controversial law
The 12414 bill subordinates the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) to Ukraine's prosecutor general.
Activists had urged Ukrainian lawmakers to vote against the bill before the vote, warning that it would make it impossible for the anti-corruption agencies to investigate senior officials without approval from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's administration.
But despite the civil society calls and pressure, the Verkhovna Rada passed the bill, triggering the first protests in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Thousands of people hit the streets in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa and Dnipro, protesting against the 12414 bill and calling on Zelenskyy to veto it even after the parliament's green light. But according to the official legislative website, Ukraine's president did sign the bill later on Tuesday.
What are NABU and SAPO?
The two agencies were created in 2015 as part of pro-Western reforms following Ukraine's 2014 Revolution of Dignity, which ousted former pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
NABU investigates top-level corruption, and its cases are overseen and prosecuted by SAPO. Those cases are subsequently tried by Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court.
The two institutions were established with the aim of being able to independently investigate and prosecute leading Ukrainian officials suspected of graft, without being subject to political influence or interference.
Corruption cases were supervised by the chief anti-corruption prosecutor, who was independent from Ukraine's prosecutor general.
However, the newly signed law removes this independence and places NABU and SAPO under the direct supervision of the country's top prosecutor.
In his overnight address, Zelenskyy said "the anti-corruption infrastructure will work, but without Russian influence".
"We need to clean up everything. And there should be more justice. Of course, NABU and SAPO will work. Ukraine has really ensured the inevitability of punishment for those who go against the law. And this is what Ukraine really needs. Cold cases must be investigated," he added.
Raids on NABU
While Zelenskyy normally delivers his daily address via his Telegram channel at about 8 pm local time (7 pm CET), the latest update was not posted until about 1 am local time, after parliament rushed to pass the bill and protesters gathered to voice their discontent.
"For years officials who have fled Ukraine have been living abroad for some reason in very nice countries and without legal consequences," he said in the latest address.
"This is not normal. There is no rational explanation for why criminal proceedings worth billions have been hanging around for years. And there is no explanation why the Russians can still get the information they need. It is important to do it without Russians."
Ukraine's SBU state security service on Monday said it had launched a series of raids on NABU and conducted more than 70 searches as part of an investigation into allegations that officials within the agency have been cooperating with Russia.
The SBU said it had arrested one official at the NABU on suspicion of being a Russian spy and another over alleged business ties with Moscow. Other NABU officials had ties to a fugitive Ukrainian politician's banned party, according to the state security service.
NABU criticised the raids and said that they went too far.
"In most cases, the grounds cited for these actions are the alleged involvement of certain individuals in traffic accidents," it said in a statement. "However, some employees are being accused of possible connections with the aggressor state [Russia]."
According to NABU, there is no evidence that its employee detained by the SBU was involved in anti-state activities.
Backlash and bill criticism
The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International said the bill undermined one of the most significant reforms since the Revolution of Dignity and would damage trust with international partners.
The watchdog had also condemned the SBU's raids on NABU, saying that the authorities were exerting "massive pressure" on Ukraine's anti-corruption activists and fighters.
NABU and SAPO expressed their concern about the new law in a joint statement.
"The head of SAPO will become a nominal figure, while NABU will lose its independence and turn into a subdivision of the prosecutor general's office," the agencies said.
In a post on X, the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said that she was "seriously concerned" about the law.
"The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU's independence is a serious step back," she wrote. "Independent bodies like NABU and SAPO are essential for Ukraine's EU path. Rule of Law remains in the very centre of EU accession negotiations."
Zelenskyy's harshest critics
Yet the harshest criticism against Zelenskyy over the law has come from home, rather than abroad.
War veteran Dmytro Koziatynskyi urged citizens to "take cardboard from boxes and make posters to write everything you think about the recent onslaught".
Protesters across Ukraine have carried signs reading "Veto the law," "Protect the anti-corruption system, protect Ukraine's future," or simply "We are against it."
People were carrying handmade sings and writings, chanting "Get your hands off NABU and SAP," "Veto the law," and "No corruption in government."
The demonstrations included war veterans, active-duty soldiers, civilians and anti-corruption activists.
People were chanting "Shame", "Corruption is the death of the future", and "Power belongs to the people" as they urged Zelenskyy to veto the bill.
Both NABU and SAPO expressed gratitude and support for the protests.
"We perceive this support as a sign of trust in our institution. And we will do everything to justify it," NABU said in a social media post.
"We were particularly impressed by the decisive stance of young people — the future of the country for which we work. We will continue to work and defend the independence of our investigations from interference."
The SAPO also thanked the demonstrators for their support.
"Despite immense pressure and disgraceful decisions, we continue to fight for justice, integrity, and dignity," SAPO said.
For many protesters and critics, the importance of this bill is comparable to Yanukovych's 2013 decision to reverse Ukraine's European integration, which triggered the Revolution of Dignity, also known as the EuroMaidan revolution, leading to the president's ousting.
At the Tuesday protests, many Ukrainians were holding signs referencing the 2014 uprising, calling on Zelenskyy not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessor.
Many were holding the picture of Zelenskyy from 2019, when shortly after being elected, he was urging people not to tolerate any cases of corruption and to contact the NABU immediately.
"We will never overcome corruption if you keep turning a blind eye to it. Are you being asked for a bribe? Being offered a 'kickback'? Please, don't stay silent! Contact the NABU hotline – 0 800 503 200. Each of you can start changing the country today," Zelenskyy said at the time.
On Tuesday, thousands of Ukrainians reminded him of this address and also of what happened to the former President Yanukovych, who went against the will of the people of Ukraine.
The protesters are set to continue the demonstrations on Wednesday, as they found out that Zelenskyy signed the bill that the people urged him to veto.
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