Latest news with #VerkhovnaRada
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian army to recruit pensioners
Ukraine will start enlisting men over 60 for contract-based military service, according to a new law signed by Vladimir Zelensky on Tuesday. The measure appears aimed at addressing recruitment shortfalls in the country's armed forces. The new law enables pension-eligible men to enlist for non-combat roles if they are deemed fit by military doctors and approved by a unit commander. Contracts will last for one year and may be renewed upon further approval. Originally introduced in April by a group of lawmakers, the bill passed its second reading in the Verkhovna Rada earlier this month. Under current Ukrainian law, 60 is the minimum retirement age for men. The country announced a general mobilization in February 2022 under which most men between the age of 18 and 60 were barred from leaving the country. In 2024, faced with mounting losses, Kiev lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25 and tightened mobilization rules. The draft campaign has increasingly relied on coercion, sparking numerous violent confrontations between conscription officers and civilians. Reports of beatings, street detentions, and extortion have circulated widely, though Kiev has routinely dismissed such allegations as 'Russian propaganda.' In a recent interview with Hungarian media, Zelensky admitted that mobilization remains a major challenge. More than 213,000 registered cases of desertion have now been reported in Ukraine, with widespread corruption and extortion of combat pay by military commanders listed among the reasons Ukrainian soldiers abandon their units. Earlier this year, Kiev launched a voluntary military recruitment campaign targeting men aged 18 to 24. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the program 'a one-way ticket,' suggesting that Ukraine is 'annihilating' its youth. Russian officials have long said that Kiev's Western backers are ready to fight Moscow 'until the last Ukrainian.'
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Ukraine's Zelensky says defenses are holding firm against Russia's summer push
Russia has claimed the capture of some villages and hamlets, but no defensively stronger urban areas have fallen to its troops. Advertisement Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have repeatedly attempted to stage minor incursions near the eastern Donetsk city of Pokrovsk to film symbolic footage, such as raising a Russian flag, but Ukrainian forces have repelled those efforts, Zelenskyy said. 'It happened five to seven times recently, sometimes with only two or six people. Once they tried to hold a position with 12 people — and all of them were eliminated by our defenders,' Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy described the situation in the northeastern Sumy border region as 'much better' than in recent months, noting progress by Ukrainian forces over the past six weeks. Russia has also intensified its bombardment of Ukrainian cities, and Zelenskyy said Ukraine is working with international partners to secure 10 U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems, with three already confirmed from Germany and Norway. Advertisement The Trump administration will sell the systems, he said, but Ukraine's task is to find funding for all 10. Each system costs more than $1 billion. Ukraine is also seeking to obtain a license to manufacture the Patriot systems itself. The Ukrainian leader expressed little hope for progress in direct talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine, though he said the Kremlin envoys have begun discussing the possibility of a leaders' summit with Ukraine. 'We need an end to the war, which probably begins with a meeting of leaders. It won't work any other way with (the Russians),' Zelenskyy said. In domestic politics, Zelenskyy said public protests against changes earlier this week to Ukraine's anti-corruption law were 'legitimate.' The changes threatened the independence of anti-graft watchdogs and also drew rebukes from European Union officials and international rights groups, prompting Zelenskyy to propose new legislation to restore the independence of the anti-graft agencies. 'It's very important that society speaks. I respect the opinion of society,' Zelenskyy said. 'People asked for changes. We responded.' Demonstrators gathered for the third day on Thursday evening, but drew a smaller crowd. He said those agencies must be 'truly independent,' adding that 'the most important thing in this war is the unity of our state. It is critical not to lose unity.' However, the risk now remains that the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's Parliament, will fail to approve the new bill, which could bring even larger crowds to the streets. Zelenskyy expressed confidence that it would pass. 'The most important thing right now is that the bill exists. It has been registered. I believe it will receive enough votes. I want that to happen,' he said. Advertisement
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Zelenskyy pledges new bill on anti-corruption agencies' independence as protests continue
Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised a new bill to strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine on Wednesday, in an apparent attempt to assuage popular anger at his decision to weaken the powers of two independent anti-corruption agencies. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Kyiv for a second day, while European leaders expressed concern at the Ukrainian president's contentious decision. The demonstrators gathered outside the presidential office, shouting anti-government slogans. They want him to scrap a controversial law that effectively places the agencies under government control. In a video address, Zelenskyy sought to deflect criticism by promising a new presidential bill. It would guarantee the independence of anti-corruption institutions and at the same time ensure there was 'no Russian influence', he said. 'Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days – on social media, to each other, on the streets. It's not falling on deaf ears,' he added. But the apparent concession left protesters unimpressed. They said Zelenskyy has not agreed to scrap the controversial aspects of Tuesday's bill and pointed out that the Verkhovna Rada – Ukraine's parliament, which approved the changes – has gone on holiday for the summer recess. Olha Ivanova, who has worked in the anti-corruption sector, said the government was calculating that the protests would fizzle out. She predicted they would continue. 'Civil society is huge in Ukraine. From time to time we have to remind the people in power that we elect them,' she said. Ivanova held up a placard in English and Ukrainian that read: 'Have you lost your mind?' She said she hoped Zelenskyy would reverse his decision, adding: 'He's not a dictator. Nobody would say this. He's a president in a very difficult political context during a war.' Ukraine's European backers including Germany, France and Sweden have echoed concerns about the new legislation, which the Ukrainian president approved on Tuesday night. They warned it could hamper Kyiv's attempt to join the EU and hinder the fight against corruption. The bill gives sweeping powers to the prosecutor general's office. It can now decide which cases the two independent agencies – the national anti-corruption bureau and the specialised anti-corruption prosecutor's office – are allowed to pursue. The two institutions have been key to fighting high-level corruption and protecting billions in international aid and investment. Critics say they have been stripped of their autonomy, making them indistinguishable from ordinary law enforcement bodies. Zelenskyy says the shake-up was needed to clean Ukraine's 'anti-corruption infrastructure' of alleged Russian connections. On Wednesday, he convened a meeting with the heads of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies at his presidential office in Kyiv. Olena Kurnytska, a 21-year-old student at York University, took part in Wednesday's protest for the first time. She waved a placard saying 'I would like to see the future, not the flashbacks'. She said: 'We feel like its our civic duty to be here. It's an easy situation to exploit. A wartime government can twist democracy more easily.' Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, was one of several prominent European figures who voiced unhappiness at the legislative amendments. She had asked Zelenskyy for explanations and had conveyed to him her strong concerns, her spokesperson said. They added: 'The respect for the rule of law and the fight against corruption are core elements of the European Union. As a candidate country, Ukraine is expected to uphold these standards fully. There cannot be a compromise.' In a pointed message to Kyiv, the EU's defence commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, said trust during wartime was 'easy to lose with one significant mistake by the leadership … Transparency and open European dialogue is the only way to repair [it].' Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion France's European minister, Benjamin Haddad, said there was still time for Ukraine to reverse its decision. 'It is not too late to go back on this,' he told France Inter radio. 'We will be extremely vigilant on the subject.' The popular backlash against the bill is turning into the biggest domestic political crisis of Zelenskyy's premiership. The crowd on Wednesday was larger than the night before. The street protests, which took place in several cities, were the first since Vladimir Putin's 2022 full-scale invasion. Civil-society leaders have accused the presidential administration of violating an informal contract with society. They say the agreement with government – that it was inappropriate to criticise official abuses because of the war with Russia – is definitively over. About 3,000 demonstrators gathered directly outside Zelenskyy's administration complex on Wednesday evening, shouting slogans beneath his window. They included 'shame', 'we are the power', and 'veto the law'. Posting earlier on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukrainians faced a 'common enemy' in the shape of 'Russian occupiers'. Of public criticism, he said: 'We all hear what society says. We see what people expect from state institutions to ensure justice and the efficiency of each institution.' Yuriy Sak, a former adviser to Ukraine's defence ministry, said Ukrainians had a strong historical tradition of protesting against anything that resembled authoritarianism or dictatorship, in Soviet times and today. 'It's in our DNA. We have a very good sense for where the red line is, and for when people cross this line. If anyone tries to tighten their grip on power people pour into the streets,' he said, citing the uprisings in 2004 and 2014 against perceived government misrule. Sak likened the collective mood to the air raid alerts that sound most evenings, when Kyiv and other cities came under Russian missile attack. 'Whenever we see authoritarianism on the move, a silent siren goes off in Ukrainian heads,' he suggested.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine protests: why are civil society activists angry with Zelenskyy?
Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has approved a contentious bill that critics say will weaken the country's fight against corruption. The bill's passage into law has triggered the first serious protests against his government. Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, voted to bring two independent agencies – the national anti-corruption bureau (Nabu) and the specialised anti-corruption prosecutor's office (Sapo) – under effective government control. The country's prosecutor general can now close cases against top officials, and investigations can be transferred to other bodies. Zelenskyy might have vetoed the new bill, but instead he signed it into law late on Tuesday night. In a video address, he said he needed to clear Ukraine's 'anti-corruption infrastructure' of Russian influence. He accused the two organisations concerned of failing to pursue cases against Ukrainian officials living abroad and suggested they were guilty of leaking information helpful to Moscow. Many people are furious. Hours before Zelenskyy signed the bill into law, about 1,500 young protesters gathered outside his presidential office in Kyiv. They chanted: 'Veto the law', 'shame' and 'we are the power'. Several waved banners with the number 12412 – referring to the new law – crossed out. There were also demonstrations in Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa. The activists say Zelenskyy has violated the informal social contract between government and society that has existed since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Under it, campaigners were largely silent about official failures because of the country's precarious wartime situation. The priority was Ukraine's survival as a state and nation. That deal appears to be over, together with Zelenskyy's status as an uncontested leader. Opponents claim the president and his team are sliding towards authoritarianism. They see a return to the old days of the corrupt pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, who enriched his friends and prosecuted his enemies before fleeing to Moscow in 2014. Tensions between Nabu and the government have been brewing for some time. Last week, the bureau accused a senior official from Ukraine's security service, the SBU, of taking bribes. The official allegedly asked for $300,000 (£220,000) to get rid of evidence in a case involving the illegal smuggling of conscripts abroad. Nabu has also made claims against Ukraine's former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. The SBU has raided Nabu's offices and says three employees have connections with Russia. It has also accused the bureau's deputy chief, Vitaliy Shabunin, a prominent anti-corruption campaigner, of failing to turn up for military duty. His supporters dismiss the charges against him as absurd and confected. Shabunin has given interviews denouncing Zelenskyy. On one side of the dispute are Ukraine's 'old' law enforcement agencies – which are loyal to the president – including the SBU and prosecutor general's office. On the other are the two 'new' independent agencies, Nabo and Sapo, which were set up in 2014 with strong western backing. By stripping Nabu of its powers, Zelenskyy has dramatically escalated the feud between them. It is unimpressed. In a statement on Tuesday, before the bill was signed, Transparency International said Ukraine's parliament had stripped society of its anti-corruption institutions. It described them as one of the country's greatest achievements since the 'revolution of dignity', the phrase used to describe the mass street protests in 2013 and 2014 that drove Yanukovych from power. The parliament had undermined the trust of Ukraine's partners, it said. Several senior European officials have expressed serious concern. They include the EU's defence commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, and its enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos. The subtext is that Ukraine's attempts to join the EU could be badly damaged. Germany says its path to membership has been 'hampered'. Well-known supporters of Ukraine have also raised the alarm. It is unclear if Zelenskyy will back down in response to private pressure from western leaders, or shrug off the criticism at home and abroad. Ukraine's enemies are delighted by the internal political crisis, the biggest of Zelenskyy's premiership. The US far-right Republican congresswoman Majorie Taylor Green called Zelenskyy a dictator and shared a video of Tuesday's evening's anti-government demonstration.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Pressure builds on Zelenskyy over corruption agency changes as protests continue
European leaders piled pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday to reverse a contentious decision to weaken the powers of two anti-corruption agencies, as demonstrators took to the streets of Kyiv for a second day. Ukraine's European backers including Germany, France and Sweden raised concerns about new legislation, which the Ukrainian president approved on Tuesday night. They warned it could hamper Kyiv's attempt to join the EU and hinder the fight against corruption. The bill – hastily endorsed by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday – in effect places the agencies under government control. They are the national anti-corruption bureau (Nabu) and the specialised anti-corruption prosecutor's office (Sapo). Zelenskyy has defended the changes, saying they were needed to clean Ukraine's 'anti-corruption infrastructure' of Russian connections. They give sweeping powers to the prosecutor general's office, which now can close down cases against top officials. On Wednesday, he convened a meeting with the heads of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies at his presidential office in Kyiv. They had agreed to work constructively and to come up with a joint plan of action next week to strengthen Ukraine, he said. But Zelenskyy did not directly address criticism from civil society activists, who accuse him of mounting a power-grab and of falling to listen. Veterans, Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, and other prominent figures have called on the president to repeal the bill. Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, also voiced her unhappiness about the legislative amendments. She had asked Ukraine's president for explanations and had conveyed to him her strong concerns, her spokesperson said. They added: 'The respect for the rule of law and the fight against corruption are core elements of the European Union. As a candidate country, Ukraine is expected to uphold these standards fully. There cannot be a compromise.' In a pointed message to Kyiv, the EU's defence commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, said trust during wartime was 'easy to lose with one significant mistake by the leadership … Transparency and open European dialogue is the only way to repair [it].' France's European minister, Benjamin Haddad, said there was still time for Ukraine to reverse its decision. 'It is not too late to go back on this,' he told France Inter radio. 'We will be extremely vigilant on the subject.' It is unclear if Zelenskyy will give in to pressure at home and abroad, or try to tough out what is turning into the biggest domestic political crisis of his premiership. Tuesday's street protests, which took place in several cities, were the first since Vladimir Putin's 2022 full-scale invasion. Civil-society leaders have accused the presidential administration of violating an informal contract with society. They say the agreement with government – that it was inappropriate to criticise official abuses because of the war with Russia – is definitively over. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion About 1,500 demonstrators gathered directly outside Zelenskyy's administration complex on Tuesday evening, shouting slogans beneath his window. They included 'shame', 'we are the power', and 'veto the law'. They held up anti-government banners, one of which read: 'Are you fucking crazy?' Posting on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukrainians faced a 'common enemy' in the shape of 'Russian occupiers'. Of public criticism, he said: 'We all hear what society says. We see what people expect from state institutions to ensure justice and the efficiency of each institution.' Yuri Sak, a former adviser to Ukraine's defence ministry, said Ukrainians had a strong historical tradition of protesting against anything that resembled authoritarianism or dictatorship, in Soviet times and today. 'It's in our DNA. We have a very good sense for where the red line is, and for when people cross this line. If anyone tries to tighten their grip on power people pour into the streets,' he said, citing the uprisings in 2004 and 2014 against perceived government misrule. Sak likened the collective mood to the air raid alerts that sound most evenings, when Kyiv and other cities came under Russian missile attack. 'Whenever we see authoritarianism on the move, a silent siren goes off in Ukrainian heads,' he suggested.
