A demonstrator with a placard, “Corruption Applauds”, amid a protest about Government legislation on anti-corruption agencies, Kyiv, Ukraine, July 22, 2025 (Alex Babenko/AP)

Tuesday’s Coverage: State Security Service Raids National Anti-Corruption Bureau

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1728 GMT:

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised a revision of the legislation curbing the autonomy of anti-corruption agencies.

Everyone has heard what people are saying these days – on social media, to each other, on the streets. It’s not falling on deaf ears. We analyzed all concerns, all aspects of what needs to be changed and what needs to be stepped up.

I will propose a bill to the Verkhovna Rada [Parliament] of Ukraine that will be the response. It will ensure the strength of the rule of law system, and there will be no Russian influence or interference in the activities of law enforcement. And very importantly – all the norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be in place.

UPDATE 1603 GMT:

An EA correspondent in Ukraine notes that the Prosecutor General has announced he is handing cases of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) to other institutions, “effectively sweeping them under the carpet”.

Parliament ended its session in the past hour and is on summer break for the next four weeks.

The correspondent notes that in the past two months, ministers and other individuals close to the Presidency were charged with corruption or handed a notice of suspicion by the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor.

In June, NABU named Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov as a suspect in a land-for-kickbacks scheme. Tymur Mindich, the co-founder and co-owner of Zelensky’s film production company, is under investigation.

The correspondent assesses:

Ukrainian civil society was reluctant to voice any criticism prior to this because the focus was on winning the war and not distracting from defense efforts. However, matters took a turn for the worse in 2023 when President Zelensky dismissed [military commander-in-chief Valerii] Zalushnyi.

Zelensky’s career is basically over now. It pains me very much that we have to endure this humiliation.

Anastasia Radin, a member of Zelensky’s Servant of the People bloc and head of Parliament’s anti-corruption committee, explains her opposition to the legislation.

Asked if Ukraine is still a democracy, she replies:

It is not a very difficult question. Every time there is a question, the people of Ukraine prove that yes it is. For them, it is vital.

UPDATE 1600 GMT:

Ukraine’s Razom We Stand, an NGO that campaigns against authoritarian fossil fuel regimes, said the curbing of anti-corruption agencies potentially jeopardizes crucial aid, investments in reconstruction and renewable energy, and accession to the European Union.

“This is a clear threat to the rule of law, demolishing the independence of anti-corruption prosecutors and undermining citizens’ hope of building a democratic, European Ukraine,” said Razom’s founder Svitlana Romanko. “It strips key institutions of their autonomy, making them indistinguishable from ordinary law enforcement agencies.”

Romanko said independent anti-corruption institutions have been essential to attracting private investments in Ukraine, and are needed for a green reconstruction including transition minerals and energy infrastructure.

UPDATE 1552 GMT:

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has asked Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky for explanations of legislation curbing the autonomy of anti-corruption agencies.

Von der Leyen “conveyed her strong concerns about the consequences of the amendments”, her spokesperson said, as it “risks weakening strongly the competences and powers of anti-corruption institutions of Ukraine”.

The respect for the rule of law and the fight against corruption are core elements of the European Union.

As a candidate country, Ukraine is expected to uphold these standards fully. There cannot be a compromise.

UPDATE 1115 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has implicitly defended the curbing of the autonomy of anti-corruption agencies in a lengthy post on social media.

Zelensky wrote of a meeting among his senior advisors and the agencies, emphasizing “willingness to work as a team — as Team Ukraine — and in the interests of Ukraine”.

We all hear what society is saying. We see what people expect from state institutions — ensured justice and the effective functioning of each institution. We discussed the necessary administrative and legislative decisions that would strengthen the work of each institution, resolve existing contradictions, and eliminate threats. Everyone will work together. At the political level, we will provide support.

He proclaimed, “In two weeks, a joint plan must be ready — outlining the steps that are needed and will be implemented to strengthen Ukraine, resolve existing issues, deliver greater justice, and truly protect the interests of Ukrainian society.”

UPDATE 1022 GMT:

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has warned that Ukraine’s law on control of anti-corruption agencies could deter investment in defense and reconstruction.

OECD’s anti-corruption head Julia Fromholz sent a letter to the deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, Iryna Mudra, before the legislation was adopted by Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday.

Fromholz said the bill threatens the independence of the anti-corruption agencies and could undermine Kyiv’s credibility among foreign partners.

UPDATE 1015 GMT:

Opposition members of Ukraine’s Parliament have prepared a bill reversing the limits on the autonomy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.

Inna Sovsun of the left-leaning liberterian party Golos said:

The only quick way to roll back the situation is to adopt a new bill which will cancel all the shameful changes. My team prepared it overnight. This morning we have already sent it to other deputies for signature.

UPDATE 0904 GMT:

Ukraine’s State security service SBU and the Prosecutor General’s office have charged MP Fedir Khrystenko, a member of the now-banned Opposition Platform — For Life party with treason.

Prosecutors allege that Khrystenko was a senior agent of Russia’s State security service FSB, tasked with expanding Russian influence over Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Khrystenko was charged in absentia.

UPDATE 0843 GMT:

At least two civilians have been killed and 30 injured, including children, by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past 24 hours.

In the Sumy region in the northeast, one person was murdered and 12 wounded by drone and artillery attacks. Residential buildings, a school, a hospital, administrative offices, shops, and vehicles were damaged. Power outages were reported in several areas after hits on energy infrastructure.

In the Kherson region in the south, one person was slain and nine injured, including two children who suffered blast injuries from a drone strike.

Casualties were also reported from the Kharkiv and Donetsk.

UPDATE 0800 GMT:

Meaghan Mobbs, the daughter of Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg and head of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation, has posted about the legislation establishing the Prosecutor General’s control of anti-corruption agencies:

Protesters call for the departure of Ukraine Presidential Chief of Staff Andrii Yermak:

UPDATE 0724 GMT:

Daria Kaleniuk, the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, explains her objection to legislation on Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies:

Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko will control all investigations against top officials in the country. He will have access to all cases of the independent agencies….

He will be able to stop these cases, give orders on how to investigate or not investigate, change prosecutors, and take cases outside of NABU to give them to other agencies.

So it returns complete control to the prosecutor general, who is 100% loyal to the president, over justice in Ukraine. This is exactly what we were trying to move away from since the Revolution of Dignity [in 2014].

During the period [of President Viktor] Yanukovych, he had a prosecutor general named Viktor Pshonka who safeguarded businesses and monopolies for Yanukovych and his associates. There was the so-called “family” — close family and friends of Yanukovych who controlled the most lucrative businesses in the country. No one could investigate them because the Prosecutor General made sure they were untouchable.

We are coming back to the era of untouchables in Ukraine.

If you are loyal to Zelensky, you will be untouchable and have access to lucrative contracts, especially in the defense sector where most Ukrainian taxpayer money is spent. You can steal, commit fraud, produce bad equipment, not deliver on time – and there will be no justice.

This is the Yanukovych moment for Zelensky.

UPDATE 0719 GMT:

Ukraine’s air defenses downed 27 of 71 drones launched by Russia overnight, and 18 were lost to electronic counter-measures.

UPDATE 0651 GMT:

Russia’s authorities are using children in the design and testing of drones for the invasion of Ukraine, reports the independent Russian outlet The Insider.

The children are selected through national competitions beginning video games. They are then headhunted by defense companies.

The candidates are aware of the military application of their projects while being encouraged to hide the purpose.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has defended legislation establishing Government control of anti-corruption agencies.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed the bill grants the Prosecutor General new powers over investigations led by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). The vote was 263-13, with 13 abstentions.

Zelensky signed the legislation in the evening.

The Prosecutor General can now issue directions for NABU’s investigations, reassign them outside the agency, or close them at the request of defense attorneys. SAPO’s powers can be given to other prosecutors.

The passage came hours after Ukraine’s State security service SBU conducted at least 70 searches in premises connected to NABU, targeting at least 15 staff.

In his nightly address to the nation, Zelensky argued that the anti-corruption agencies are still in operation “but without any Russian influence. It all must be cleansed.”

There must be more justice. Of course, NABU and SAPO will continue their work. It’s also important that the prosecutor general be committed to ensuring real accountability for those who break the law. This is what Ukraine truly needs.

Zelensky assured, “The cases that have been lying dormant must be investigated,” claiming that “officials who have fled Ukraine have been casually living abroad for some reason in very nice countries and without legal consequences”.

There is no explanation why the Russians can still get the information they need. Important is – without Russians. Important is to have an inevitability of punishment and that society really sees it.

Protests Across Ukraine

Protesters gathered in the evening in the capital Kyiv and in other cities including Dnipro, Lviv, and Odesa.

In Kyiv, about 1,500 protesters gathered next to Zelensky’s Presidential complex, shouting “Shame” and “Veto the Law” and waving homemade banners.

The crowd included students, young activists, army veterans, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

“If the bill goes ahead it will make it harder for Ukraine to join the European Union. We will go back to dictatorship,” said Sasha Kazintseva. “We don’t want to be like Russia. Zelenskyy is still our president. But when he does the wrong things we will say so.”

Her friend Tetiana Kukuruza held up a cardboard sign, “Are you fucking crazy?”

She said, “This is the first time since 2022 that we’ve taken to the streets. We know the names of the deputies who voted for this bill. I’m not saying they are corrupt. But they have interests.”

Artist Veronika Mol expressed concern that Ukraine was returning to the era of Viktor Yanukovych, the corrupt pro-Russian President who fled to Moscow in March 2014 after the Maidan Revolution.

“I’m surprised this has happened. It looks like some madness. I don’t know what their motives are,” she said. “People are the power in Ukraine. Not the President or government. It’s terrible we still have to remind them.”

Writer Illia Ponomarenko said civil society was fighting “the dark side of its own state” as well as the Russian invasion. He criticized “corruption, abuse of power, lies, lack of transparency, nepotism, impunity, and attacks on democracy and freedom of speech – everything that keeps dragging us back toward the abyss, back into Russia’s colonial criminal stable”.

Maryna, a lawyer, referred to Yanukovych’s passage of laws banning mass protest during the people’s uprising: “Today, we are essentially returning to January 16, 2014 — a time when our country faced the threat of dictatorship.

She explained, “If [Zelensky] doesn’t veto it, it’s like spitting in the face of every mother, wife, and child who’s lost a loved one at the front. It’s trampling the memory of all those who died for our freedom, dignity, and independence.

Legislators have begun collecting signatures to file a motion in the Constitutional Court challenging the law, said member of parliament Yaroslav Zheleznia.

The motion requires at least 45 signatures.

“The only thing that can be done now to remedy the situation is to demolish this shoddy law in the Constitutional Court,” posted Zhelezniak, a member of the opposition Holos party.

Without referring to the legislation, military intelligence head Kyrill Budanov wrote:

Ukrainian history has taught us — a nation loses if it is torn apart by internal contradictions. We have one common trouble, one enemy. Therefore, internal contradictions should be resolved through open dialogue to achieve a single common goal — to defend our country.

EU Concern

The European Union expressed concern through European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier, cautioning that the developments could hinder Ukraine’s bid to join the 27-nation bloc:

These institutions are crucial to Ukraine’s reform agenda and must operate in an independent way to fight corruption and maintain public trust.

The EU provides significant financial assistance to Ukraine, conditional on progress in transparency, judicial reform, and democratic governance. Ukraine’s accession will require a strong capacity to combat corruption and to ensure institutional resilience.

The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, posted after a conversation with Ukraine Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka:

Kachka responded with “commitment to the rule of law and anti-corruption”:

Today’s decisions [by Parliament] do not intend to threaten the institutional independence of NABU or SAPO. All core functions remain intact.

There will be no compromise on anti-corruption — Ukraine takes this responsibility seriously. Our reform agenda and accession commitments remain fully in force.

The EU assured that despite its concerns, financial aid to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion would not be affected.

There was also criticism from the former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, and former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Others linked their worries to recognition, unlike in Russia, protesters could challenge the government.