Ukrainian Parliament has passed a bill weakening anti-corruption institutions sparking protest across the country.
Ukrainianโs are demanding that President Volodymyr Zelensky will โveto the bill,โ however he signed the bill making it law last night.
Protesters have gathered in the capital city of Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa and Dnipro as the signing of the bill.
Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand strongly condemns the Ukrainian Parliament’s actions on adoption and President Zelenskyโs decision to sign Law No. 12414, which places previously independent anti-corruption agencies under executive control.
This autocratic move reverses a decade of hard-won reforms and threatens Ukraineโs rule of law, democratic aspirations, and European integration, undermining the values for which Ukrainians continue to sacrifice their lives every day.
Dr. Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said, โThis is a clear threat to the rule of law, demolishing the independence of anti-corruption prosecutors and undermining citizensโ hope of building a democratic, European Ukraine. It strips key institutions of their autonomy, making them indistinguishable from ordinary law enforcement agencies.
Ukrainians are revolting against Zelenskyy.
What is your reaction?
— AmericanPapaBear (@AmericaPapaBear) July 23, 2025
โThe Prosecutor General, directly appointed and controlled by President Zelenskyโs office, now has unchecked power to change jurisdictions, overrule investigative decisions, and dictate outcomes.
โCriminal investigations into high-ranking officials will become virtually impossible, creating systemic conflicts of interest and concentrating power in a way that subverts democratic checks and balances.
โIf Vladimir Putin wanted to sabotage Ukraineโs independence and derail our pro-European future without firing a shot, this would be the way to do it.
โThis move from the 236 Ukrainian MPs who voted yes and President Zelensky signing the Law to come into force is dangerously undermining the rule of law, alienating Ukraineโs EU allies, and potentially jeopardising crucial aid, from the Ukraine Facility to critical investments in reconstruction, renewable energy, and EU accession.
โIt drives a new iron curtain between Ukraineโs battlefield-defended European aspirations and the grim political reality now taking shape.โ
The new law consolidates presidential control over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutorโs Office (SAPO), two institutions that have been key to fighting high-level corruption and protecting billions in international aid and investment. Its adoption has already sparked widespread protests (the first of their kind since Russiaโs full-scale invasion) and strong criticism from Ukraineโs international partners, including the EU.
Ukrainians are protesting against Zelenskyy on the streets of Kiev & Lvov.
The protest comes just days after Zelenskyy personally limited anti-corruption investigations in Ukraine (by executive order)
In the video they are anti-semitically chanting:
โZelenskyy is a demon!โ ๐บ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ pic.twitter.com/LLy6d7TFim— Dmitry K (@WWNHost) July 22, 2025
The law also poses a direct risk to Ukraineโs EU accession process and post-war reconstruction, particularly in critical sectors such as energy infrastructure, processing of energy transition minerals, and clean industrial development. The EU committed 300 billion of investments to support phasing out Russian gas in Europe by 2027 and to accelerate the transition to renewables and clean technologies.
Ukraineโs national plans and strategies, including previous declarations from President Zelensky, recognised the countryโs immense potential in renewable energy and stated that rebuilding Ukraineโs energy system should involve international partners and the deployment of distributed power generation and decentralisation.
Independent anti-corruption institutions have been essential to attracting private investment, rebuilding infrastructure with international aid, and securing EU and international trust. By dismantling these safeguards, Law No. 12414 endangers the foundation for a clean energy transition, green reconstruction, and sustainable economic recovery.
Razom We Stand exists to fight fossil-fuelled authoritarian regimes that trample human rights, environmental standards, and democratic values. We will not allow those same perversions of power to take root in our own country.
We call for the immediate repeal of Law No. 12414 and the restoration of independent anti-corruption oversight. Anything less risks Ukraineโs democratic future, European aspirations, and its people’s and international allies’ trust.
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