![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AP25203718138988-1753219672.jpg\")
A woman chants while holding a banner that reads, \u2018Corruption Applauds\u2019, during a protest against a law targeting anticorruption institutions, in central Kyiv, Ukraine [Alex Babenko\/AP]<\/p>\nHundreds of protesters rally in Kyiv to oppose the measure, in a show of antigovernment anger rarely seen since Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a bill that would revoke the autonomy of key anticorruption agencies, a plan that has triggered rare street demonstrations in the capital, Kyiv.<\/p>\n
Critics say the legislation consolidates power in Zelenskyy\u2019s hands and will allow government meddling in high-profile corruption cases.<\/p>\n
The European Union on Tuesday called the decision a \u201cserious step back\u201d, while hundreds gathered in central Kyiv to oppose the measure \u2013 a show of antigovernment anger rarely seen since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Some demonstrators shouted, \u201cVeto the law!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bill is being rushed through,\u201d 26-year-old game designer Anastasia told the AFP news agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear that this is a targeted effort,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The bill will grant the prosecutor general new authority over investigations and cases handled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor\u2019s Office (SAPO).<\/p>\n
NABU investigates instances of corruption among state institutions, while the SAPO prosecutes corruption.<\/p>\n
The passage of the bill through parliament drew sharp criticism from the heads of both agencies, and the citizen protests were the largest since Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion in 2022.<\/p>\n
A woman chants while holding a banner that reads, \u2018Corruption Applauds\u2019, during a protest against a law targeting anticorruption institutions, in central Kyiv, Ukraine [Alex Babenko\/AP]<\/p>\n
Many influential Ukrainians also lashed out on social media after Tuesday\u2019s vote, saying it was a betrayal of Ukraine\u2019s decade-long geopolitical ambition.<\/p>\n
Fighting corruption is crucial for Ukraine\u2019s bid to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid. It is also seen as critical to erasing a legacy of Russian rule, a sentiment echoed at the protest in Kyiv.<\/p>\n
Vladyslava Kirstyuk, 18, said that memories of her childhood in occupied eastern Ukraine, after Russia\u2019s covert invasion in 2014, left a strong impression on her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what it means for one person to have all the power, when nothing is transparent and everything is working against you,\u201d the teenager told the Reuters news agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want it to be the same for us here.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Monday, Ukraine\u2019s domestic security agency detained two NABU officials on suspicion of links to Russia and searched other agency employees on unrelated allegations.<\/p>\n
NABU has uncovered widespread corruption, including among figures in Zelenskyy\u2019s administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n