Kyiv: Ukraine has seen the first major anti-government protests since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion over three years ago, as a move by President Volodymyr Zelensky to curb the powers of anti-corruption agencies sparked fury across the nation.
Defiant crowds gathered in the capital city on Tuesday, as well as Lviv in the west, with smaller groups gathering in Dnipro in the east and Odesa in the south, after Ukraine’s Parliament — the Verkhovna Rada — approved a bill that grants oversight of two key anti-corruption agencies to the prosecutor general, a politically appointed figure.
Critics say the move will hamper the functioning of two bodies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), and take Ukraine further away from its dream of joining the European Union.
The EU has made it clear to Kyiv that it must implement strong anti-graft measures if it wants to become a member, reports CNN.
Ukraine has long been seen as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. Allegations of corruption have been wielded against some of the country’s top officials, including several close allies of Zelensky – such as former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov.
The bill was fast-tracked through the parliament and signed into law by Zelensky late Tuesday.
