President Donald Trump ruffled feathers in February when he characterized Volodymyr Zelenskyy — the Ukrainian leader who suspended elections, dissolved rival parties, sanctioned a political opponent on suspicion of “high treason,” consolidated Ukraine’s media outlets, banned a Christian denomination, and remains president despite his term officially ending in May 2024 — as a “dictator without elections” who wants to “keep the ‘gravy train’ going.”
Zelenskyy has faced continued criticism in the months since over his apparent efforts to appropriate and remain in power, including from the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, whose authority and responsibilities the Ukrainian president has effectively neutralized by appointing a rival military administration in the capital.
Klitschko, furious over the “raids, interrogations, and threats of fabricated criminal cases” apparently undermining his city council, told the Times (U.K.) in May, “This is a purge of democratic principles and institutions under the guise of war.”
“I said once that it smells of authoritarianism in our country,” continued the mayor. “Now it stinks.”
Zelenskyy gave his critics further cause for suspicion and sparked mass protests on Tuesday by ratifying legislation that will give the country’s prosecutor general — Zelenskyy’s appointee — powers over Ukraine’s National Anticorruption Bureau, thereby affording the president the ability to torpedo investigations into his administration.
Ukrainska Pravda indicated that the legislation drew protest from numerous members of parliament, which has not had elections since 2019, and stressed that the shakeup “means the destruction of the independence of anti-corruption bodies.”
RELATED: Dictator, thief, puppet: Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 3 strikes revealed
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Daria Kaleniuk, a co-founder of the nongovernmental Anticorruption Action Center who helped establish the NABU following Ukraine’s 2014 regime change, told the Wall Street Journal, “What’s happening is the demolition of the anticorruption infrastructure in Ukraine.”
Olena Tregub, executive director of the Independent Defense Anti-Corruption Commission, suggested on LinkedIn that “weakening NABU and [the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office] is a dangerous mistake.”
“It threatens to derail Ukraine’s EU aspirations, fuels political polarization, and could erode public trust in the president who once promised to make the fight against corruption a cornerstone of his leadership,” wrote Tregub. “Independent anti-corruption institutions are not simply a box to check for European integration. They are essential for building a democratic, transparent, and truly European Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy said in a video statement on Tuesday that “the anti-corruption infrastructure will work, only without Russian influence — it needs to be cleared of that.”
“Criminal proceedings must not drag on for years without lawful verdicts. And those who work against Ukraine must not feel comfortable or immune to the inevitability of punishment,” Zelenskyy added in a separate statement concerning his meeting with top Ukrainian law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies.
RELATED: Trump confirms he’s sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine — but with one major caveat
Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Zelenskyy signed the bill the day after the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, which operates ultimately under the authority of Zelenskyy, launched a series of raids on NABU offices largely on the basis of allegations that agency officials were cooperating with Russia.
The SBU claimed in a statement on Monday that while acting under the procedural guidance of the office of Zelenskyy’s prosecutor general, it “exposed the agent penetration of [Russia’s Federal Security Service] into the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.”
‘This decision endangers not only the functioning of anticorruption institutions but also Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.’
NABU indicated that as of Monday evening, the SBU, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the Prosecutor General’s Office had executed at least 70 raids in relation to the anti-corruption bureau’s employees.
“In most cases, the grounds cited for these actions are the alleged involvement of certain individuals in traffic accidents,” said NABU. “However, some employees are being accused of possible connections with the aggressor state. These are unrelated matters.”
The anti-corruption bureau indicated that the raids took place while its director, Semen Kryvonos, was on an official visit to the United Kingdom.
Kryvonos suggested that the law effectively handing over NABU to Zelenskyy was pushed by officials who were actively being investigated by the bureau, reported the Wall Street Journal.
“This pressure campaign is a direct response to the effectiveness of our investigations, including those targeting high-ranking officials and members of Parliament,” said Kryvonos. “This decision endangers not only the functioning of anticorruption institutions but also Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.”
“The president of the European Commission was in contact with President Zelenskyy about these latest developments,” a European Commission spokesperson told Politico. “President von der Leyen conveyed her strong concerns about the consequences of the amendments, and she requested the Ukrainian government for explanations.”
The European Commission spokesperson added, “The respect for the rule of law and the fight against corruption are core elements of the European Union. As a candidate country, Ukraine is expected to uphold these standards fully. There cannot be a compromise.”
In 2012, Ernst & Young ranked Ukraine in the top three of the most corrupt countries in its 12th Global Fraud Survey. Transparency International rated it the most corrupt country in Europe after Russia and ranked it 130th among 180 countries in its 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index.
The country has, however, showed some signs of improvement, such that it now ranks 105th on the Corruption Perceptions Index, with a score of 35. By way of comparison, America’s score is 65, with 100 signaling perfection.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Zelenskyy, Ukraine, Kyiv, Corruption, Europe, Dictator, Donald trump, Volodymyr, Zelensky, European union, Eu, European commission, Corrupt, Politics
