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Economist
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Economist
Volodymyr Zelensky has made a strategic blunder
UKRAINE'S WAR effort depends not only on courage and weapons, but on trust: the trust of its own citizens, and that of its Western backers. That compact is now at risk. On July 22nd the Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed a bill that would place the country's two main anti-corruption bodies—NABU, which investigates wrongdoing, and SAPO, which prosecutes it—under the control of the presidency. This was not the work of rogue MPs. It was orchestrated from the top by President Volodymyr Zelensky and his all-powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. It passed with large numbers of votes from the president's own Servant of the People party. The law is a direct threat to the international support that has sustained Ukraine through the war. At home, it has drawn the first anti-Zelensky protests since the invasion.
Economist
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Economist
Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, should junk a very bad bill
UKRAINE'S WAR effort depends not only on courage and weapons, but on trust: the trust of its own citizens, and that of its Western backers. That compact is now at risk. On July 22nd the Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed a bill that would place the country's two main anti-corruption bodies—NABU, which investigates wrongdoing, and SAPO, which prosecutes it—under the control of the presidency. This was not the work of rogue MPs. It was orchestrated from the top by President Volodymyr Zelensky and his all-powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. It passed with large numbers of votes from the president's own Servant of the People party. The law is a direct threat to the international support that has sustained Ukraine through the war. At home, it has drawn the first anti-Zelensky protests since the invasion.
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First Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Why are Ukrainians protesting against Volodymyr Zelenskyy?
On Tuesday (July 22), thousands of people gathered for anti-government protests across Ukraine. This includes hundreds in the capital Kyiv as well as Lviv and Dnipro. The demonstrations started after Ukraine's parliament passed a bill that gives the president more oversight over two anti-corruption bodies read more Ukrainians protest in the first wartime rally against a newly passed law, which curbs independence of anti-corruption institutions. Reuters Ukraine is up in arms. This time over actions of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first anti-government protests in Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022. But what happened? Why are Ukrainians angry at Zelenskyy? Let's take a closer look: What happened? On Tuesday (July 22), thousands of people gathered for anti-government protests in Ukraine. This includes hundreds in Ukraine's capital of Kyiv, as well as Lviv, and Dnipro. This came after Ukraine's parliament, known as the Rada, passed a bill that gives the president and his inner circle more oversight over its anti-corruption bodies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The bill gives Ukraine's prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko control of two offices – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau ( Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sap). Kravchenko, who is close to Zelenskyy, can now handpick prosecutors and even shut cases. The development comes days after Zelensky reshuffled his war-time Cabinet in what is being viewed as a bid to consolidate power. 'We chose Europe, not autocracy,' one poster read. 'My father did not die for this,' said another. Signs such as 'Veto the law', 'Protect the anti-corruption system, protect Ukraine's future' and 'We are against it' were also seen. But Zelenskyy has refused to back down. The Ukrainian president signed the bill into law on Tuesday. Zelenskyy claimed both agencies would still function and added that they 'needed to be cleared of Russian influence.' Many say the law undermines the independence and authority of these two offices. Reuters He claimed the agencies had been 'lying dormant'. 'There is no rational explanation for why criminal proceedings worth billions have been 'hanging' for years,' he added. He said Kravchenko would ensure 'the inevitability of punishment' for lawbreakers. Ukraine's secret service on Monday held two Nabu officials on suspicion of links to Russia. They also searched other agency employees in allegations unrelated to the matter. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What do critics say? Many say the law undermines the independence and authority of these two offices. Even the agencies themselves came out against it. 'In effect, if this bill becomes law, 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 joint statement on Telegram before Zelenskyy signed the bill into law. They say this is a backward step for Ukraine, which has been riddled with corruption in the past. Kyiv depends highly on the flow of funds from the West to keep its fight with Russia going. Its allegations of corruption also stand in the way of it joining the European Union. They point out that Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies were set up a decade ago under pressure from the West. This came after Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014 and was a prerequisite for Ukraine and the West moving closer together. The EU's enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, called the vote 'a serious step back' for Ukraine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Independent bodies like NABU & SAPO are essential for Ukraine's EU path. Rule of Law remains in the very center of EU accession negotiations', Kos wrote on X. 'The European Union is concerned about Ukraine's recent actions with regard to its anti-corruption institutions,' added European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former comedian, came to office vowing 'victory over corruption'. AP 'The EU provides significant financial assistance to Ukraine, conditional on progress in transparency, judicial reform, and democratic governance.' Politicians, activists and diplomats accuse Ukraine's leader of favouring loyalists and using wartime powers against critics. 'Corruption is a problem in any country, and it must always be fought," Ihor Lachenkov, a blogger and activist with 1.5 million followers, told NPR. 'Ukraine has far fewer resources than Russia in this war,' he said. 'If we misuse them, or worse, allow them to end up in the pockets of thieves, our chances of victory diminish. All our resources must go toward the fight.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After all, Zelenskyy, a former comedian, came to office vowing 'victory over corruption'. 'Those who swore to protect the laws and the Constitution have instead chosen to shield their inner circle, even at the expense of Ukrainian democracy,' said veteran Oleh Symoroz. Symoroz, who lost both legs after being wounded in 2022, is in a wheelchair. 'Instead of setting an example of zero tolerance for corruption, the president is using his power to take control of criminal cases involving his allies,' he added. Ex-Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba called the development a 'bad day for Ukraine'. The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International criticised parliament's decision, saying it undermines one of the most significant reforms since what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity in 2014, and damages trust with international partners. The group had urged Zelenskyy to veto the law, warning that otherwise he would share responsibility with the Rada for 'dismantling Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure'. But the Ukraine government is unmoved. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Taras Kachka, Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, has claimed that tackling corruption remains a priority. 'All core functions remain intact', he said of the agencies. With inputs from agencies
Spectator
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Zelensky's war on Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies is a disaster
Cries of 'Shame!' rang out in the Rada, Ukraine's parliament, today as lawmakers from Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People Party, backed by most opposition parties, voted to bring key independent anti-corruption agencies under government control. The new law, which was backed by 263 lawmakers with just 26 opposing or abstaining, has sparked widespread condemnation from many politicians and civil society activists who had previously been loyal champions of Zelensky's. The dismemberment of the national anti-corruption bureau (NABU) and the special anti-corruption prosecutor's office (SAPO) has also caused deep disquiet among Ukraine's leading international backers. Zelensky's government seems to have seriously miscalculated the mood of ordinary Ukrainian people. 'Seriously concerned over today's vote in the Rada,' tweeted European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. 'The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU's independence is a serious step back. 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.' Toomas Hendrik Ilves, president of Estonia from 2006-12, described the move as 'a complete disaster' that will 'fuel all those in Europe who think helping Ukraine is pointless, not to mention the whole Russian narrative of Ukrainians just stealing the West's assistance for private enrichment, a narrative we have fought for years.' The Rada vote came days after Ukraine's security service carried out 70 simultaneous raids on senior investigators from the NABU and SAPO agencies, reportedly without court warrants. They also searched the home of Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the anti-corruption action centre (AntAC) independent NGO, as well as those of his family and friends. 'Taking advantage of the war, Volodymyr Zelensky is taking the first but confident steps towards corrupt authoritarianism,' Shabunin wrote on Telegram. Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of AntAC and once a leading defender of Zelensky's, called accusations of fraud and misuse of state resources 'absurd' and described the case as a 'vendetta for what…our organisation is doing and will keep doing about corruption and wrongdoing of authorities.' A government spokesperson explained the raids and arrests as a campaign to weed out Russian agents, who the government claims are using corruption charges to undermine Ukraine's war effort. Indeed, several senior Zelensky allies have fallen because of both civil society and NABU-driven anticorruption probes, though there is no evidence that these charges have any links to Moscow-funded troublemakers. Defence minister Reznikov resigned in 2023 after evidence of massive overcharging by army suppliers was published by the Nashi Groshy watchdog website; and last month, deputy prime minister Chernyshov has also faced corruption charges. NABU and SAPO were working on 268 cases of corruption against Zelensky allies when they were taken over, says Kyrylo Shevchenko, former head of Ukraine's Central Bank. 'The next to go will be anti-corruption activists and independent journalists,' says Shevchenko. 'Zelensky is copying Putin.' What concerns disillusioned former Zelensky allies and his opponents alike is that the takedown of NABU and SAPO are part of a long pattern of rollback of anti-corruption checks and balances by Zelensky's presidential administration. The agencies were established at the behest of the European Union, which required them to be independent from the government, with leadership chosen through transparent, fair competitions, not political appointments. But earlier this year, Ukraine's presidential administration blocked the appointment of a new independent head of the bureau of economic security or BEB – another powerful law enforcement agency – insisting on a regime loyalist instead. The law will make all the formerly independent economic crime institutions of Ukraine subordinate to the government-appointed prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko – who himself failed to qualify to be a regular prosecutor due to previous corruption allegations, but was promoted by Zelensky anyway. 'By liquidating NABU, Zelensky is liquidating the last investigative body that could investigate his corruption,' wrote Anatoly Shariy, one of Ukraine's most popular YouTubers and head of a pro-Russian Eurosceptic party. 'He will receive billions from the West. And steal, steal, steal.' Zelensky's government seems to have seriously miscalculated the mood of ordinary Ukrainian people. 'This isn't what our people have been fighting and dying for,' wrote Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Independent. 'It's devastatingly unfair to them.' Wall Street Journal chief foreign correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov, himself a native of Kyiv, reports that 'it's no exaggeration that Ukrainian public opinion is in an absolute firestorm.' For the first time since the Russian invasion in February 2022, prominent public figures have called for demonstrations against the government. Perhaps more seriously, Zelensky seems to have badly misread the room in terms of the impact on his backers in the West. International anti-corruption bodies, Ukrainian civil society groups, the independent Ukrainian press and Western diplomats have all been warning Zelensky that passing this law could jeopardise Ukraine's EU accession process, cancel its visa-free regime, and even trigger EU sanctions against Ukraine. But he went ahead and did it anyway. In the wake of the Rada vote, Ukraine's anti-corruption action centre published a mock up of a Time Magazine cover featuring Zelensky – but with half his face covered by that of Viktor Yanukovych, his corrupt predecessor. Yanukovych's wholesale plundering of the state was one of the main triggers of the 2014 Maidan revolution. Just a year ago, any equivalence between Zelensky and Yanukovych would have seemed absurd. Today, many of those making exactly that grim comparison were once Zelensky's most passionate supporters.
France 24
22-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
EU says Ukraine's blocks on anti-graft bodies 'a serious step back'
The EU's enlargement commissioner on Tuesday slammed a vote by Ukrainian lawmakers to remove the independence of two anti-corruption bodies in the war-torn country. "Seriously concerned over today's vote in the Rada. The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU's independence is a serious step back," Marta Kos wrote on X, using the initials of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. Kos said the independence of the agency, and of an anti-graft prosecutor's office, were "essential for Ukraine's EU path". Ukrainian MPs on Tuesday approved amendments to remove the independence of two anti-corruption bodies, a day after the arrest of an official working in one of the agencies. Ukraine has stepped up its anti-graft measures over the past decade in a bid to join the EU, but corruption scandals continue to plague the country, even after the Russian invasion. Despite widespread criticism from NGOs and rights groups, parliament voted 263 to 13 to place two government anti-corruption agencies, the NABU and SAPO, under the direct authority of the Prosecutor General, who is appointed by the president. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) finds and investigates instances of corruption among state institutions while the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) prosecutes corruption. The EU said earlier that it was "concerned about Ukraine's recent action with regard to its anti-corruption institutions", emphasising that the European body "provides significant financial assistance to Ukraine, conditional on progress in transparency, judicial reform and democratic governance". The Anti-Corruption Action Center, a Ukrainian NGO, said that the law essentially made the anti-corruption agencies meaningless as leader Volodymyr "Zelensky's Prosecutor General will stop investigations into all of the president's friends". On Monday, law enforcement conducted large-scale raids at the NABU, detaining one employee on suspicion of spying for Russia. Transparency International's Ukraine office called the raids an "attempt by the authorities to undermine the independence of Ukraine's post-Revolution of Dignity anti-corruption institutions". The NABU began work in 2015, after a 2014 pro-European protest movement dubbed the Revolution of Dignity, as part of reforms designed to move Kyiv closer to Europe as it fought Moscow-backed separatists in its east. Transparency International ranked Ukraine 105 out of 180 countries in its "corruption perceptions index" in 2024, up from 144 in 2013.
