Zelensky Faces Nationwide Protests After Signing Controversial Anti-Corruption Law (VIDEO)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is facing a wave of public protests across the country following his approval of a controversial new law that critics argue undermines Ukraine’s fight against corruption.

The legislation, signed on Tuesday, places two key anti-corruption agencies—the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO)—under the direct authority of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO).

The move has ignited outrage among civil society groups, legal experts, and reform advocates who see it as a major step backward in Ukraine’s hard-fought campaign against entrenched corruption.

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Protesters flooded the streets of Kyiv and several other cities, some even defying the nationwide nighttime curfew—implemented due to ongoing Russian drone and missile threats—to voice their disapproval.

The protests mark the first significant public challenge to Zelenskyy’s domestic agenda since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Demonstrators argue that the newly enacted law strips NABU and SAPO of their independence, effectively giving political influence over investigations that were once shielded from government interference.

Both NABU and SAPO were established in the wake of Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan Revolution, a pivotal moment in the country’s modern history that aimed to realign Ukraine with Western democratic norms. Their creation was widely hailed as a cornerstone of Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union, and they played a crucial role in prosecuting high-level graft and restoring public trust in state institutions.

Now, reformists and international observers fear that centralizing control under the Prosecutor General’s Office—a body often criticized for political bias—could derail Ukraine’s progress toward democratic accountability and EU integration.

The backlash comes at a particularly sensitive time, as Ukrainian and Russian delegations prepare for another round of ceasefire negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey. While the international spotlight remains on the battlefield and diplomatic efforts, the domestic unrest signals a deeper crisis of confidence at home.

Zelenskyy, who rose to power in 2019 on a platform of transparency and reform, now finds himself navigating the delicate balance between wartime governance and upholding the democratic values that once won him widespread support.

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