KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian activists called for more protests against a law they say weakens the country’s anti-corruption bodies. The legislation has also drawn rebukes from European Union officials and international rights groups.
Thousands of people gathered in the capital and other cities across Ukraine on Tuesday evening to urge President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to veto a controversial bill passed by Ukraine’s Parliament earlier that day. After Zelenskyy approved it, activists called on social media for another demonstration in the center of Kyiv at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The legislation tightens government oversight of two key anti-corruption agencies. Critics say the step could significantly weaken the independence of those agencies and grant Zelenskyy’s circle greater influence over investigations.
Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine’s aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid in its fight against Russia’s three-year invasion.
Instead of vetoing the bill as protestors demanded, Zelenskyy signed it into law and argued for it, in a move that risked his public support after more than three years of war with Russia.
Zelenskyy said the measure clears out “Russian influence” from the fight against corruption and ensures punishment for those found guilty of it, after what he said were yearslong delays in criminal proceedings involving huge amounts of money.
“This is what Ukraine really needs,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post after midnight Wednesday. “The cases that have been lying dormant must be investigated.”
“For years, officials who have fled Ukraine have been casually living abroad for some reason – in very nice countries and without legal consequences – and this is not normal,” he said.
He didn’t provide examples of what he said was Russian interference.
Russian officials relished Zelenskyy’s difficulties. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mocked Zelenskyy’s claim of Russian infiltration into the anti-corruption agency, noting sarcastically that “they might just as well pull a couple of bears out of the corner.”
Zelenskyy has been the international face of Ukraine’s determination to defeat Russia’s all-out invasion, and his domestic troubles are an unwelcome diversion from the war effort.
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine were set to meet in Istanbul on Wednesday for their third round of direct talks in two months, although the Kremlin didn’t confirm the date or venue and its spokesman warned against expecting “any magical breakthroughs” in the meeting.
The changes would grant the prosecutor general new authority over investigations and cases handled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
In a post on X, the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos expressed concern over the vote in the Ukrainian Parliament, called the Rada, calling it “a serious step back.”
The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International criticized Parliament’s decision, saying it undermines one of the most significant reforms since what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity in 2014, and damages trust with international partners. It accused authorities of “dismantling” the country’s anti-corruption architecture.
The mood of anger and frustration among the war-weary Ukrainians prevailed in the crowd Tuesday. Some protesters accused Ukraine’s leadership of prioritizing loyalty and personal connections over the fight against corruption.
“Those who swore to protect the laws and the Constitution have instead chosen to shield their inner circle, even at the expense of Ukrainian democracy,” said veteran Oleh Symoroz, sitting in a wheelchair because both his legs were amputated after he was wounded in 2022.
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