'We don't want to be like Russia': Zelenskyy signs bill weakening anti-corruption bodies amid protests against his govt

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a contentious bill weakening the country’s anti-corruption bodies despite widespread protests against his government in Kyiv.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Parliament, Verkhovna Rada, approved a contentious legislation that significantly undermines the autonomy of the country’s key anti-corruption bodies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.

The development comes at a time when Zelenskyy’s critics are saying that Ukraine is slipping into authoritarianism as the government ignores corruption and malpractices within the system due to the long-drawn-out war.

The weakening of the anti-corruption bodies will grant sweeping powers to Ukraine’s prosecutor general, leaving it to the government’s discretion which cases are pursued and which are slid under the carpet.

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The vote drew sharp criticism from the heads of both agencies and a top EU official, and spurred the largest public protests since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

‘Veto, veto, veto!’

Meanwhile, Kyiv is witnessing widespread protests against Zelenskyy’s government, which has come under suspicion of abusing its powers in recent days.

Around 1,500 protestors gathered next to Zelenskyy’s presidential administration complex in the capital city and shouted slogans like “Shame” and “Veto the law”, while waving placards denouncing the bill.

“We don’t want to be like Russia. Zelenskyy is still our president. But when he does the wrong things we will say so,” one of the protestors said, according to The Guardian.

Protesters assembled in a park directly beneath the ornate 19th-century House of Chimeras, a striking example of rococo architecture. The crowd included students, young activists, and army veterans, some wrapped in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags. Among those present were Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, and his brother Wladimir, both showing their support.

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Zelenskyy orders raids against officials

While Russia and Ukraine trade fire along the border, Kyiv is running a separate campaign against Zelenskyy’s critics.

Last week, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation conducted raids in the home and offices of the former infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, and anti-corruption activist Vitaliy Shabunin.

Authorities have defended the raids on the grounds of an alleged corruption case against Kubrakov, while Shabunin has been accused of fraud and abandoning his military post, according to a report by the Financial Times.

Concerns are mounting among officials and observers, including Kubrakov and Shabunin, and observers over the growing concentration of power in the hands of President Zelenskyy and his office. Critics warn that wartime conditions have allowed unchecked authority and sidelined key democratic reforms.