Zelenskyy faces backlash at home and abroad over bill 'undermining' Ukraine's anti-corruption watchdogs
Ukrainian protesters have lined the streets to voice their outrage at President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's new bill, claiming it "weakens" the country’s anti-corruption bodies.
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EU officials have also condemned the legislation, which grants the country's prosecutor general complete control of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
Critics say the new law undermines these organisation's authority and gives Zelenskyy’s inner circle greater influence over criminal investigations.
The bill has sparked the first major public demonstration against the government for the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Hundreds of people gathered in Kyiv to voice their disapproval, with demonstrations also seen in the cities of Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa.
One demonstrator held a poster which read: "We chose Europe, not autocracy." Another said: "My father did not die for this."
This wave of public anger threatens to endanger President Zelenskyy's public support at a pivotal moment in the war with Russia.
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Under the new laws, Ukraine's chief prosecutor - and Zelenskyy cheerleader - Ruslan Kravchenko will now have the power to reassign corruption cases to investigators who may be more easily influenced.
Zelenskyy defended the changes, saying the new framework was needed because many cases have been "lying dormant".
“Criminal cases should not drag on for years without verdicts, and those working against Ukraine must not feel comfortable or immune from punishment,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Following a meeting with the heads of Ukraine’s anti-corruption and security agencies on Wednesday, Zelenskyy maintained both agencies would still "work" but needed to be cleared of "Russian influence".
He added that Mr Kravchenko would also ensure "the inevitability of punishment" for those who break the law.
However, opposers argue the law flies in the face of more than a decade of pro-democracy and anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.
These efforts led to the 2014 Euromaidan uprising and the ousting of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, which prompted Russia's first invasion of the country in the same year.
Ukraine's western allies are also alarmed. They had previously insisted that Kiev establish an independent anti-corruption system as a precondition for deeper cooperation.
"The European Union is concerned about Ukraine's recent actions with regard to its anti-corruption institutions," says European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier.
"The EU provides significant financial assistance to Ukraine, conditional on progress in transparency, judicial reform, and democratic governance."
The law also jeopardises Ukraine's application for Eu membership, as tackling corruption is a core requirement.
G7 ambassadors have also raised alarm and are seeking urgent talks with Ukrainian leadership.
Marta Kos, the European commissioner for enlargement, criticised the bill on social media: "The dismantling of key safeguards protecting Nabu's independence is a serious step back."
Despite these developments, Ukraine's allies are unlikely to halt aid or cooperation in the near future, given the country's ongoing struggle on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy’s political challenges have been met with glee by Russian officials, who are set to meet Ukrainian delegates in Istanbul on Wednesday for their third round of direct talks in two months.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mocked the Ukrainian leader's claim of Russian infiltration into the anti-corruption agency.
"They might just as well pull a couple of bears out of the corner," she noted.