 "Why are Ukrainians protesting against Volodymyr Zelenskyy?")
Ukraine is up in arms.
This time over actions of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This is the first anti-government protests in Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022.
But what happened? Why are Ukrainians angry at Zelenskyy?
Let’s take a closer look:
What happened?
On Tuesday (July 22), thousands of people gathered for anti-government protests in Ukraine.
This includes hundreds in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, as well as Lviv, and Dnipro.
This came after Ukraine’s parliament, known as the Rada, passed a bill that gives the president and his inner circle more oversight over its anti-corruption bodies.
The bill gives Ukraine’s prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko control of two offices – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau ( Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sap).
Kravchenko, who is close to Zelenskyy, can now handpick prosecutors and even shut cases.
The development comes days after Zelensky reshuffled his war-time Cabinet in what is being viewed as a bid to consolidate power.
“We chose Europe, not autocracy,” one poster read. “My father did not die for this,” said another.
Signs such as “Veto the law”, “Protect the anti-corruption system, protect Ukraine’s future” and “We are against it” were also seen.
But Zelenskyy has refused to back down.
The Ukrainian president signed the bill into law on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy claimed both agencies would still function and added that they ‘needed to be cleared of Russian influence.’
He claimed the agencies had been “lying dormant”.
“There is no rational explanation for why criminal proceedings worth billions have been ‘hanging’ for years,” he added.
He said Kravchenko would ensure “the inevitability of punishment” for lawbreakers.
Ukraine’s secret service on Monday held two Nabu officials on suspicion of links to Russia.
They also searched other agency employees in allegations unrelated to the matter.
What do critics say?
Many say the law undermines the independence and authority of these two offices.
Even the agencies themselves came out against it.
“In effect, if this bill becomes law, the head of Sapo will become a nominal figure, while Nabu will lose its independence and turn into a subdivision of the prosecutor general’s office,” the agencies said in a joint statement on Telegram before Zelenskyy signed the bill into law.
They say this is a backward step for Ukraine, which has been riddled with corruption in the past.
Kyiv depends highly on the flow of funds from the West to keep its fight with Russia going.
Its allegations of corruption also stand in the way of it joining the European Union.
They point out that Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies were set up a decade ago under pressure from the West.
This came after Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 and was a prerequisite for Ukraine and the West moving closer together.
The EU’s enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, called the vote “a serious step back” for Ukraine.
“Independent bodies like NABU & SAPO are essential for Ukraine’s EU path. Rule of Law remains in the very center of EU accession negotiations”, Kos wrote on X.
“The European Union is concerned about Ukraine’s recent actions with regard to its anti-corruption institutions,” added European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier.
“The EU provides significant financial assistance to Ukraine, conditional on progress in transparency, judicial reform, and democratic governance.”
Politicians, activists and diplomats accuse Ukraine’s leader of favouring loyalists and using wartime powers against critics.
“Corruption is a problem in any country, and it must always be fought," Ihor Lachenkov, a blogger and activist with 1.5 million followers, told NPR.
“Ukraine has far fewer resources than Russia in this war,” he said. “If we misuse them, or worse, allow them to end up in the pockets of thieves, our chances of victory diminish. All our resources must go toward the fight.”
They say this is a checkmark against Zelenskyy himself.After all, Zelenskyy, a former comedian, came to office vowing “victory over 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.
Symoroz, who lost both legs after being wounded in 2022, is in a wheelchair.
“Instead of setting an example of zero tolerance for corruption, the president is using his power to take control of criminal cases involving his allies,” he added.
Ex-Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba called the development a “bad day for Ukraine”.
The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International criticised 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.
The group had urged Zelenskyy to veto the law, warning that otherwise he would share responsibility with the Rada for “dismantling Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure”.
But the Ukraine government is unmoved.
Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, has claimed that tackling corruption remains a priority.
“All core functions remain intact”, he said of the agencies.
With inputs from agencies
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