Ukrainians Protest after New Law Cracks Down on Anti-Corruption Agencies 

Thousands of Ukrainians across the country hit the streets in protests on Tuesday after the country’s parliament quickly passed a bill to limit the powers of two key anti-corruption agencies, weakening the independence of institutions central to the country’s reform agenda and possibly hindering its path toward membership of the European Union, Reuters reported.  

At marches in major cities in the country’s west, demonstrators said they didn’t want to revert to Russian-style governance in Ukraine, referring to the administration of former President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted by a mass uprising in 2014. 

In the capital Kyiv, protesters carrying flags and handmade signs chanted “Veto the law,” and “No corruption in government,” the Kyiv Post reported. In Lviv, they yelled, “Shame!” and “Corruption is the death of the future.” 

At issue is the bill passed by parliament Tuesday that would allow the general prosecutor, appointed by the president, to take greater control of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), two of the country’s main institutions fighting corruption. 

It would also grant the general prosecutor the power to reassign cases and also to close NABU’s investigations if the defense requests it. 

The amendment bill moved unusually fast through the legislative process, receiving committee approval, a parliamentary vote, and the signature of the speaker all within a single day, the newswire wrote.  

It was passed with 263 votes in favor, 13 against, and 13 abstentions.  

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the bill into law late Tuesday.  

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, NABU chief Semen Kryvonos had urged Zelenskyy not to sign the bill, which he says is an attempt to “destroy” Ukraine’s anti-graft infrastructure. 

Cracking down on systemic corruption is a core requirement for Ukraine to join the EU, with senior bloc officials expressing concern about the bill. In recent months, independent anti-graft investigators revealed corruption involving senior officials.  

US officials under the Biden and Trump administrations have pushed for greater efforts to tackle state-level corruption. 

Meanwhile, multiple law enforcement agencies carried out searches of NABU and SAPO on Monday, arresting NABU officials on charges ranging from alleged ties to Russia to administrative misconduct. NABU officials have denied the accusation and condemned the use of physical force during the raids, Euronews noted.