The largest public protests in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022 are taking place in Kyiv after President Zelensky and his government toughened restrictions on two anti-corruption agencies.
The changes signed into effect by Zelensky late on Tuesday night mean that agencies at the centre of the government’s reform drive have had their autonomy reduced in favour of tighter executive control.
square UKRAINE Why Zelensky is under fire over 'corrupt authoritarianism'
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Amendments passed on Tuesday grant the general prosecutor, appointed by the president, strict control over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, several politicians said.
Stamping out endemic corruption is a requirement for Kyiv to join the European Union as well as to secure billions in Western aid. Independent investigators have in recent months embarrassed senior officials with allegations of corruption.
Many influential Ukrainians lashed out on social media after Tuesday’s vote, saying it was a betrayal of Ukraine’s decade-long geopolitical ambition.
The mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, attended the protest with his brother, and fellow former heavyweight boxing champion, Wladimir.
Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko and his brother Volodymyr are joining the protests in central Kyiv against parliament’s move to strip key anti-corruption bodies of their independence.
— Kyiv Post (@kyivpost.com) 2025-07-22T19:21:05.703ZFighting corruption is seen as critical to erasing a legacy of Russian rule, a sentiment echoed at the protest.
Vladyslava Kirstyuk, 18, told the news agency Reuters that memories of her childhood in occupied eastern Ukraine, after Russia’s covert invasion in 2014, left a strong impression on her.
“I know what it means for one person to have all the power, when nothing is transparent and everything is working against you,” she said.
“I don’t want it to be the same for us here.”
The vote has drawn sharp criticism from the heads of both agencies and a leading EU official. It came a day after Kyiv’s domestic security agency arrested two NABU officials on suspicion of ties to Russia and conducted sweeping searches into agency employees on other grounds. Critics and the two agencies said the crackdown went too far.
No senior official has publicly commented on the reason for Tuesday’s amendments, which would allow the general prosecutor to transfer cases from the agencies and reassign prosecutors.
President Zelensky, whose party holds a majority in parliament, approved the amendments late on Tuesday. His office did not respond to an earlier request for comment.
NABU chief Semen Kryvonos had urged Zelensky not to sign the fast-tracked bill, which he described as an attempt to “destroy” Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure. After Tuesday’s vote, Ukraine’s government bonds fell more than 2 per cent on international markets, with the bulk of the $20 billion of debt it restructured last year down over 1 cent at between 45 and 50 cents on the dollar.
A woman holds a phone with a sign that translates as “veto” during the protest (Photo credit: AP Photo/Alex Babenko)Hundreds of Ukrainians protested near the presidential administration in central Kyiv late on Tuesday, with smaller actions taking place in several other cities.
Writing on X, EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said she was “seriously concerned” by Tuesday’s vote.
“The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU’s independence is a serious step back,” she said, adding that the rule of law was at “the very centre” of accession talks.
NABU and SAPO were established after the 2014 Maidan revolution that toppled a pro-Russian president and set Kyiv on a Western course. The two agencies have stepped up their work during the war, levelling charges against politicians, ministers, and a former deputy head of Zelenskiy’s administration.
Campaigners have been alarmed since authorities charged a leading anti-corruption activist this month with fraud and evading military service.
Critics have cast those charges as political retribution for exposing corrupt officials.
The government has also faced criticism for rejecting the candidacy of an economic security chief and current NABU detective who was unanimously backed by an internationally supervised committee.
A Western diplomat familiar with Ukraine’s reform effort described the developments as “the most dangerous moment” yet for the independence of anti-corruption authorities.
“The Ukrainian side is testing the limits more and more,” they said, referring to the patience of Kyiv’s allies.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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