Zelenskiy Weakens Anti-Graft Agencies, Sparking Ukraine Protests
A demonstration against legislation that placed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine under the control of the Prosecutor General’s Office, in Kyiv, on July 22.
Photographer: Tetiana Dzhafarova/AFP/Getty Images
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy approved a law to strip Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies of their powers, triggering the first outbreak of popular protest against his leadership since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
The Ukrainian leader defended the controversial decision in a nightly address early Wednesday, saying that anti-corruption investigations must be cleared of “Russian influence” — and saying many cases had been left untouched, including those against former officials who’d fled the country. He said he spoke to the heads of the anti-graft agencies and his chief prosecutor.