{"id":1653,"date":"2025-07-23T11:35:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T11:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/?p=1653"},"modified":"2025-07-23T11:35:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T11:35:11","slug":"zelensky-signs-law-weakening-anti-corruption-agencies-prompting-protests-and-eu-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/zelensky-signs-law-weakening-anti-corruption-agencies-prompting-protests-and-eu-criticism\/","title":{"rendered":"Zelensky Signs Law Weakening Anti-Corruption Agencies, Prompting Protests and EU Criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"
Zelensky\u2019s new anti-corruption law has sparked mass protests as critics warn of rising autocracy and weakened institutions<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/header>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed into law a controversial bill that critics say undermines the independence of the country\u2019s anti-corruption agencies, sparking protests across major cities and triggering backlash from Western allies.<\/p>\n

The new legislation places the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor\u2019s Office (Sapo) under the control of the prosecutor general Zelensky loyalist Ruslan Kravchenko who now has the authority to reassign or even shut down corruption investigations.<\/p>\n

In his Wednesday address, Zelensky defended the move, stating that while Nabu and Sapo would continue to operate, they needed to be purged of \u201cRussian influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no rational explanation for why criminal proceedings worth billions have been \u2018hanging\u2019 for years,\u201d he said, adding that the prosecutor general would ensure \u201cthe inevitability of punishment\u201d for wrongdoers.<\/p>\n

However, the move has alarmed many both within and outside Ukraine. The day after the bill passed, Kyiv witnessed its largest anti-government protest since Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion in 2022.<\/p>\n

Demonstrations also broke out in Lviv, Dnipro, and Odesa, with protesters carrying signs reading \u201cWe chose Europe, not autocracy\u201d and \u201cMy father did not die for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/ins><\/div>\n

Critics argue the legislation runs counter to the anti-corruption and pro-democracy reforms that followed the 2014 Euromaidan uprising and the ousting of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.<\/p>\n

Western allies who helped establish Ukraine\u2019s independent anti-corruption framework are also expressing concern. The EU, which has made anti-corruption a core requirement for Ukraine\u2019s membership bid, warned the legislation could derail the country\u2019s integration path.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe dismantling of key safeguards protecting Nabu\u2019s independence is a serious step back,\u201d said European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe EU provides significant financial assistance to Ukraine, conditional on progress in transparency, judicial reform, and democratic governance,\u201d added EU spokesperson Guillaume Mercier.<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Taras Kachka, said he had reassured EU officials that \u201call core functions remain intact,\u201d and there would be no compromise on anti-corruption.<\/p>\n

Former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba criticised the decision, calling it \u201ca bad day for Ukraine\u201d and suggesting the president faced a choice \u201cto stand on the side of the people or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite concerns, Western nations including the G7 have stopped short of threatening to withhold aid. Their ambassadors have requested dialogue with Ukraine\u2019s leadership over the future of Nabu and Sapo, though any rollback in support appears unlikely as Ukraine remains locked in a war with Russia.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/ins><\/div>\n

The law\u2019s passage comes just days after the Security Service of Ukraine and the prosecutor general\u2019s office conducted raids at Nabu, alleging Russian infiltration. For critics, however, the timing further signals an attempt to exert political control over institutions originally created to operate independently.<\/p>\n

As Ukraine continues its EU accession journey, the pressure is mounting for the government to reassure both its citizens and international partners that its commitment to transparency remains intact.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source: AriseNews<\/em><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Zelensky\u2019s new anti-corruption law has sparked mass protests as critics warn of rising autocracy and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[109,108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eu","category-ukraine"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68.png",1314,926,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68-300x211.png",300,211,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68-768x541.png",640,451,true],"large":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68-1024x722.png",640,451,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68.png",1314,926,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68.png",1314,926,false],"wpucv-grid-three":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68.png",341,240,false],"wpucv-grid-two":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68.png",568,400,false],"wpucv-grid-one":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68.png",756,533,false],"wpucv-classic":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68.png",241,170,false],"wpucv-classic-small":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68.png",150,106,false],"wpucv-galary":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68.png",400,282,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68-1115x715.png",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68-800x500.png",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68-1024x722.png",1024,722,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68-540x340.png",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-12-29-09-GettyImages-1545037991.jpeg-JPEG-Image-1920-\u00d7-1354-pixels-\u2014-Scaled-68-400x250.png",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["Saint Rich"]},"category_info":"EU<\/a> Ukraine<\/a>","tag_info":"Ukraine","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1653"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1655,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1653\/revisions\/1655"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}