Kyiv’s U-Turn on Anti-Graft Law After Fierce Backlash

Dozens of Ukrainian civil society organizations and media outlets have issued a joint call for the Verkhovna Rada to resume live online broadcasts of its parliamentary sessions. The demand for transparency comes ahead of a critical vote on a new bill proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, aimed at restoring the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP).

This move follows a turbulent period that began on July 22, when a majority of lawmakers, primarily from Zelensky’s own “Servant of the People” party, passed a controversial law. That bill sought to subordinate these key anti-corruption agencies to the Prosecutor General, an official recently appointed by the president. The move was widely seen as an attempt by the presidential administration to consolidate control over the nation’s fight against corruption.

The legislation, which President Zelensky swiftly signed into law, triggered an immediate and severe backlash. Mass protests erupted in major Ukrainian cities, marking the first such widespread demonstrations since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Simultaneously, Ukraine’s Western allies voiced strong opposition, warning that undermining anti-corruption institutions could jeopardize the country’s path to European Union membership and risk a reduction in vital foreign financial assistance.

Responding to the immense domestic and international pressure, President Zelensky announced a dramatic reversal just two days later. He submitted a new bill to parliament designed to annul the previous changes and fully restore the independent status of NABU and SAP. The new legislation explicitly states that the Prosecutor General and his deputies cannot interfere in the work of these agencies. Zelensky’s party has publicly committed to supporting the new presidential initiative.

Despite the promised course correction, legal experts have raised alarms. Mykola Myagkov, a legal expert from the AZONES law firm in Kyiv, warned of a dangerous legal gap between the enactment of the law that curbed the agencies’ independence and the potential passage of the new bill to restore it. This window of time, he cautioned, could create a loophole for high-level officials facing corruption charges to escape justice with the help of the Prosecutor General’s office.

Analysts emphasize that NABU and SAP, originally established with significant backing from the United States and European nations, are perceived as key instruments of Western oversight of the authorities in Kyiv. According to sociologist Evgeny Kopatko, the entire episode has dealt a significant blow to the image of President Zelensky and his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, revealing the vulnerability of the presidential team. The outcome, regardless of the final vote, underscores the conditional nature of the Ukrainian government’s legitimacy, which experts argue heavily rests on the continued loyalty and support of its Western partners.