Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets of Kyiv, Lviv, and Dnipro this week to protest sweeping changes to the country’s anti-corruption agencies, marking the first major public backlash against President Volodymyr Zelensky since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Anger erupted after Ukraine’s parliament approved controversial amendments late Tuesday last week, that reduce the autonomy of two key anti-corruption bodies: the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. The changes hand greater oversight to the general prosecutor, a presidential appointee, prompting fears of political interference and a backslide on democratic reforms.
Some protesters held signs reading “Welcome to Russia” and “We chose Europe, not autocracy,” accusing the government of adopting authoritarian tactics more associated with its enemy to the east. “My father did not die for this,” read another.
Eighteen-year-old protester Vladyslava Kirstyuk, who grew up in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, said the new law reminded her of a system where “nothing is transparent and everything is working against you.”
The legislation passed just one day after Ukraine’s domestic security agency arrested two NABU officials on suspicion of Russian ties and conducted broader raids on agency staff. President Zelensky’s party, which holds a majority in parliament, fast-tracked the bill and he signed it into law shortly afterwards.
Zelensky defended the move as a necessary step to eliminate foreign influence in Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies. “They will continue to work, but without any Russian influence,” he said.
Critics argue the law undermines the very institutions tasked with rooting out corruption, a central condition for Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union and maintain billions in Western financial aid.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, an opposition MP, warned the bill signals “the end of the independence of anti-corruption bodies,” blaming what he described as a “personal choice” by Zelensky.
The EU responded with concern. Enlargement commissioner Marta Kos called the changes “a serious step back,” stressing that the rule of law remains “at the very centre” of Ukraine’s accession talks. France’s European Affairs minister, Benjamin Haddad, said it was not too late for Kyiv to reverse course.
A Western diplomat involved in Ukraine’s reform process described the amendments as “the most dangerous moment yet” for anti-corruption independence. “The Ukrainian side is testing the limits more and more,” the diplomat warned.
Following the backlash, Zelensky convened emergency talks with top security and anti-corruption officials. On Wednesday, he promised to unveil a joint anti-corruption strategy within two weeks. “We all hear what society is saying,” he said. “We see what people expect from state institutions.”
