Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing the first significant wave of anti-government protests since the start of the war, following the country’s parliament’s passage of a law on Tuesday that significantly limits the independence of two key anti-corruption agencies: the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
Despite sources close to Zelensky trying to downplay the law, hundreds of protesters gathered in Kyiv, chanting, “Corruption is death.” Independent Ukrainian media and activists have criticized the law, calling it a betrayal of democracy. The Kyiv Independent daily published an editorial saying: “Zelensky has betrayed Ukraine’s democracy and all those who fight for it.”
The law is reported to have renewed concerns among Western allies, especially the United States, about Ukraine’s corruption problems. Zelensky signed the law, and the White House has not yet responded.
