\u201cThis was [a] massive, deliberately planned attack by all law enforcement agencies against the anti-corruption system,\u201d Klymenko told The Times during an interview in Kyiv. A former senior police investigator, Klymenko, 38, became head of Sapo soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThe main thing was to take control of all our investigations in order to have information about where we are investigating, what we are investigating and what stage we are at\u2026 to protect people from criminal liability,\u201d he said on the eve of a crucial vote that could reverse Zelensky\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n Nabu and Sapo were created with support from the United States and European countries after the Maidan revolution in 2014 that toppled Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine\u2019s corrupt, pro-Moscow president. The organisations were tasked with rooting out deep-seated corruption and granted wide-ranging autonomy to ensure that crooked officials could not interfere with their work. President Putin<\/a> alleged on the eve of Russia\u2019s invasion that the existence of Nabu and Sapo was proof that Ukraine was a western puppet state.<\/p>\n Protests broke out in Ukraine after a vote on reducing the powers of Nabu, the national anti-corruption bureau<\/p>\n YULIIA OVSIANNIKOVA\/UKRINFORM<\/p>\n The move against the organisations was widely seen in Ukraine<\/a> and Europe as a sign that Zelensky was backtracking on democracy. The president moved swiftly to calm tensions, announcing that parliament would vote on Thursday on a new law to restore their independence. <\/p>\n His decision came as Brussels said that Nabu and Sapo\u2019s ability to operate without interference was key to Kyiv\u2019s bid to join the European Union<\/a>.<\/p>\n The EU also said that it would withhold \u20ac1.5 billion of an aid package of \u20ac4.5 billion over delays in implementing reforms. <\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s vote is likely to be tight but the measure to guard the anti-corruption bodies\u2019 independence is expected to pass with a slim majority. However, Klymenko said that even if it did pass, Nabu and Sapo\u2019s enemies would continue to exert pressure on the agencies in the form of smear campaigns and other dirty tricks.<\/p>\n \u2022 Elon Musk \u2018ordered Starlink shutdown\u2019 during Ukraine counterattack<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNo one has backed down from their plans to \u2026 prevent us from working effectively,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only agency that makes top officials afraid of carrying out corrupt actions is Nabu. The main thing about our work is the enormous preventive effect it has.\u201d<\/p>\n Zelensky said the law was essential to ensure that the organisations\u2019 work was not influenced by Russian agents. Two Nabu officials were arrested last week over suspected ties with Moscow.<\/p>\n Klymenko said that the charges were pressed without \u201csufficient evidence\u201d. He also said the arrests had a chilling effect on the work of the anti-corruption groups, as well as their sources.<\/p>\n \u201cA Nabu detective has already refused to investigate a sensitive case because he was concerned that he might be targeted,\u201d he said. \u201cWhistleblowers have also suspended cooperation with us because they are worried that their identities could be leaked.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Russia \u2018sending kidnapped Ukrainian children to front line\u2019<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Oleksiy Chernyshov, at the time a deputy prime minister, was charged by Nabu last month with accepting bribes for granting approval for construction projects. One of Zelensky\u2019s closest friends, he was arrested but released on bail. He lost his post when Zelensky reshuffled his government this month.<\/p>\n After the charges against Chernyshov, Zelensky\u2019s office instructed law enforcement \u201cto do everything possible to destroy the influence of Nabu and Sapo,\u201d according to sources cited by the Ukrainska Pravda<\/a> website.<\/p>\n Klymenko also said that of Ukraine\u2019s allies, the US had invested the most in the work of anti-corruption agencies in the country, but Washington\u2019s interest had now decreased \u201csignificantly\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is one of the reasons why this attack was possible,\u201d he said. He urged the EU and other western countries to step up their support for the agencies. \u201cOnly our international partners can pressure our authorities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Nabu and Sapo have overseen anti-corruption cases involving the head of Ukraine\u2019s anti-monopoly committee, the chief justice of the supreme court and over 70 current and former MPs. In addition, they have exposed embezzlement within the defence ministry and the ministry of agrarian policy.<\/p>\n![\"Protest](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\/019e3c1d-902a-44bf-a959-cbbc1b1a6e11.jpg\")
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