Hundreds of Ukrainians protested on Tuesday against a law that limits the independence of two anti-corruption agencies. These are the largest demonstrations since the Russian invasion in 2022.
Several hundred protesters gathered at the presidential palace in Kyiv. In other cities, including Odesa and Lviv, smaller groups of people took to the streets. It is unprecedented during the war with Russia that so many people are demonstrating at the same time.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on Tuesday that had previously been adopted by a large majority in parliament. As a result, the NABU investigation service and the SAPO prosecution service fall directly under the Prosecutor General. The latter is appointed by the president. Critics fear that the government can influence high-level corruption cases in this way.
The head of NABU unsuccessfully tried to change Zelensky’s mind. “The law destroys the infrastructure with which Ukraine fights corruption,” he warned.
Ukraine must tackle corruption in order to one day become an EU member state. The country now has the status of candidate member state. European Commissioner Marta Kis, responsible for the expansion of the European Union, has “serious concerns” about the new law. She calls it “a serious step backwards”.