Zelenskyy’s U-Turn on Anti-Graft Law After Protests and EU Rebuke

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced plans to submit a new bill to parliament aimed at restoring the independence of the country’s anti-corruption bodies. The move represents a significant retreat following a domestic and international firestorm over a controversial law he signed just days earlier, which critics argue effectively neutered these key institutions.

The contentious legislation, passed by the Verkhovna Rada and signed by the president on July 22, triggered the first large-scale street protests Ukraine has seen in over three years of full-scale war. Rallies erupted not only in the capital, Kyiv, but also in major cities including Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Odesa, and Lviv, signaling widespread public discontent with the perceived attack on anti-graft reforms.

The backlash from Ukraine’s key Western partners was swift and severe. In a joint statement, U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jeanne Shaheen asserted that the law undermines progress in the fight against corruption and contradicts the expectations of the Ukrainian people and the international community. This directly refuted claims by the law’s proponents in Kyiv that it had backing from the U.S. Republican Party.

Pressure from Brussels was equally intense. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanded an explanation from Kyiv, emphasizing that the rule of law and anti-corruption are “fundamental components” of the European Union and non-negotiable for a candidate country. EU officials warned that the scandal would negatively impact the European Commission’s annual assessment of Ukraine’s progress toward membership. Furthermore, the audit board for the Ukraine Facility, a major financial aid program, officially called on Kyiv to repeal the law, stating it weakens Ukraine’s ability to ensure proper financial management.

The targeted institutions, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), were established in 2014 with significant U.S. and European support to ensure oversight of foreign aid and combat systemic graft. The legislative assault on their independence came just a day after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) conducted dozens of raids on NABU and SAP offices, announcing it had uncovered “FSB agents.”

Faced with mounting pressure, Zelenskyy’s administration is now attempting to reverse course. The heads of NABU and SAP have expressed their readiness to join the development of a compromise bill. In parallel, a group of 48 deputies from various factions has registered a separate bill to restore the agencies’ independence, while others are reportedly preparing a challenge to the Constitutional Court. However, with the parliament now on a traditional four-week recess, any legislative solution faces delays.

Analysts suggest that despite the backtracking, significant political damage has been done. According to former Ukrainian lawmaker Spiridon Kilinkarov, the episode has exposed the administration’s position atop what he termed Ukraine’s “corruption pyramid.” While the recent protests were not on the scale of the 2013 Maidan, experts believe the scandal will not be easily forgotten and could fuel more serious political unrest in the autumn, particularly when combined with public sentiment over the outcome of the summer military campaign.