Protests in Ukraine as Zelensky signs bill targeting anti-corruption bodies

President Voludmir Zelensky has signed a bill in which critics say weakening the independence of anti -corruption bodies in Ukraine, which sparked protests in many cities and attracts international criticism.

Critics say that the new law undermines the authority of the National Anti-Corruption Office (NABU) and the Office of the Public Prosecutor for Combating Corruption (SAPO)-puts them under the control of the Public Prosecutor.

In a speech on Wednesday, Zelinski said that both clients are still “working” but needed to be cleared of “Russian influence”.

After the draft law was passed, hundreds of people gathered in Kiev for the largest anti -government protest since the beginning of the full invasion of Russia in February 2022.

The demonstrations were also seen in the cities of Levv, Dnipro and Odesa.

“We have chosen Europe, not tyranny,” said a poster carried by one of the demonstrators. Another said: “My father did not die for this.”

The prosecutors of Ukraine, the pro -Cravchenko, will be reset of corruption to researchers who are likely to be more amazing, and even to close them.

In his speech overnight, Zelensky criticized the efficiency of anti -corruption infrastructure in Ukraine, saying that the cases were “asleep.”

“There is no rational explanation, why the criminal procedures were worth billions of dollars” pending “for years.

He added that the public prosecutor will guarantee the “imperative of punishment” for those who broke the law.

For legislative critics, this is at odds with more than a decade of support for democracy and anti -corruption.

These are the aspirations that led to the Euromaidan uprising and the fall of the pro -Russian president of Russia in 2014, followed by the invasion of Russia and the death of hundreds of thousands of people.

The Ukrainian government cited Russian influence to reduce the Nabu authorities.

On the day before the controversial law was previously approved, the Security Office in Ukraine and the Prosecutor’s Office conducted searches and arrests targeting the alleged Russian spies in Nabu.

The move raised anxiety between Western Ukraine allies.

The Ukrainian independent anti -corruption system was established upon their insistence and under their supervision 10 years ago.

It was a major condition for their assistance and strongest relations, as Ukraine declared a pro -democracy cycle amid Russia’s first invasion of 2014.

“The European Union is concerned with the recent Ukraine procedures regarding anti -corruption institutions,” says Gouium Mercy, a spokesman for the European Commission.

“The European Union provides great financial assistance to Ukraine, conditional on the progress of transparency, judicial reform and democratic ruling.”

Elimination of corruption is also a major condition for Ukraine to join the European Union.

The European Expansion Commissioner, Marta Cos, criticized the adoption of the bill.

“The dismantling of the main guarantees that protect the independence of Nabo is a dangerous step,” Kos wrote on social media.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European Integration and the Euro-Atlantic, Taras Kashka, said that he confirmed to Marta Cos that there will be no compromise on fighting corruption, and that “all basic functions are still sound.”

“A bad day for Ukraine” and that the president had an option – either to stand by people or not.

Ambassadors from the G7 G7 said they want to discuss the pressure on Nabu and SAPO with the Ukrainian leadership.

However, Ukraine allies will be very hesitant in the decline in aid and cooperation at a time when its forces are fighting on the confrontation line.