Ukraine adopts new anti-corruption law as protests force Zelensky to retreat

Washington Post

3 days ago

KYIV — Ukraine's parliament approved legislation Thursday restoring the independence of the country's two main government anti-corruption bodies — a move demanded by Kyiv's international partners as well as tens of thousands of enraged Ukrainians who protested on the streets of the capital and other cities.
The legislation passed by a comfortable margin, with 331 deputies voting in favor; a majority of 226 was needed. It was a stunning about-face by the same lawmakers who just last week had supported the previous law undermining the agencies, which drew public fury.
Demonstrators outside parliament cheered the result when it was announced. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had been the target of the criticism, signed the law less than two hours after it was approved, according to a post by his office social media.
Inaction by parliament would have prolonged the political instability in a country besieged by Russia's continuing war. A brutal missile attack destroyed an apartment building in the capital overnight, killing at least eight people and injuring at least 135, was a stark reminder of Russia's unrelenting violence.
The protests, the largest in Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February 2022, erupted last week when parliament voted to place the two government agencies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) — under the supervision of the country's prosecutor general, an ally of Zelensky.
The two bodies were created after Ukraine's pro-Western 2014 revolution and were seen as vital to the country's bid to join the European Union. Critics said the initial law would effectively neutralize them, and Zelensky quickly reversed course.
Francis reported from Brussels. Kostiantyn Khudov and Siobhán O'Grady contributed to this report.