The head of an anti-corruption agency at the heart of turmoil that has shaken Ukraine and threatened to undermine wartime unity has called for the swift passage of a bill meant to restore the independence of his office and another organization that fights graft.
In an interview with RFE/RL, National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) director Semen Kryvonos also said the agencies are bracing for further pressure from “evil” forces he did not identify but suggested were out to undermine the country’s crucial anti-corruption efforts.
On July 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law that critics said robs NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Office (SAPO) of their autonomy by handing the Prosecutor-Generals’ Office control over the agencies.
Zelenskyy’s move sparked the biggest protests over a political issue since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and prompted vocal criticism from Western countries whose support for Kyiv is vital to its defense against the onslaught and its path toward the European Union.
In a stunning reversal, Zelenskyy submitted new legislation on July 24 in an attempt to undo the damage. The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, is set to discuss the new bill on July 31.
“It’s important to pass this law as soon as possible, to restore the independence of NABU and SAPO, to restore the normal operations of these institutions,” Kryvonos said in the interview on July 25.
NABU and SAPO are seen as symbols and examples of progress toward justice and the rule of law in Ukraine since independence in 1991 and, in particular, since the Maidan protests in 2014 pushed a Moscow-friendly president whose rule was marred by corruption from power.
For many Ukrainians, anti-corruption efforts are an important part of progress in putting as much distance as possible between Ukraine and its Soviet legacy as it fights against Russia’s effort to once again bring the country under Moscow’s thumb. They are also crucial to maintaining Western military, financial, and diplomatic support.
After a phone call with Zelenskyy on July 27, French President Emmanuel Macron said the two had "shared the conviction that what also sets Ukraine apart from Russia today is that, despite the war, it remains a vibrant democracy — and that it is determined to continue moving forward on its European path.”
“In this context, we reaffirmed the importance of the fight against corruption, led by independent and fully effective institutions,” Macron wrote on X.
While their role is seen by many as crucial, NABU and SAPO have faced public criticism and questions about their effectiveness. In defending the bill he signed into law on July 22, Zelenskyy said it was meant to remove what he described as Russian influence from anti-graft efforts and improve the work of the agencies.
Passage of the law on July 22 came a day after Ukraine’s domestic security agency, the SBU, arrested two NABU officials -- one on suspicion of spying for Russia, the other over alleged business ties to Russian entities -- and carried out dozens of searches targeting agency employees.
NABU, which has led high-profile investigations that embarrassed senior officials, said the operation went far beyond legitimate security concerns, extending to unrelated issues such as years-old traffic violations. The agency warned that the scope of the crackdown had effectively paralyzed its mission.
In the interview with RFE/RL, Kryvonos said that “deep reforms” are needed to tackle the underlying causes of corruption. He also vowed to improve NABU’s work, suggesting that it needs to ensure it has broad public support because it is sure to face further pressure from opponents in the near futures.
“We are aware of our mistakes. We are aware of our weaknesses, and we will definitely work, because we will not have much time to prove to Ukrainian society that we are able to overcome corruption, because evil will recover and evil will try to attack again,” he said, without naming any particular public figures or political forces.
Kryvonos said he hopes the Rada will pass the new bill with two required votes in a single session and not “stretch it for two weeks.”
On July 25, the Financial Times cited unnamed sources as saying some 70 lawmakers from Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party, might balk at backing the new bill. Meanwhile, Servant of the People lawmaker Fedir Venislavskiy told RFE/RL he believes it will receive the 226 votes needed to pass in the 450-seat chamber.
In addition to Macron, Zelenskyy spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on July 27.
“Ukraine has already achieved a lot on its European path” and it “must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine’s rule of law,” von der Leyen wrote on X after the call.
Zelenskyy said on Xthat he and von der Leyen talked about the bill that guarantees the independence and effectiveness of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies and he thanked the European Commission for the provided expertise.
"We share the same vision: it is important that the bill is adopted without delay, as early as next week," he said.
