KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill on Tuesday revoking the autonomy of two anti-corruption agencies, a proposal that has sparked rare street protests in Kyiv and alarm among the country’s international backers.

Critics say the legislation consolidates power in Zelenskyy’s hands and will allow government meddling in high-profile graft cases.

The European Union called the decision a “serious step back,” while hundreds gathered in central Kyiv to oppose the measure — a show of anti-government anger rarely seen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lawmakers in Ukraine’s parliament voted 263 to 13 to approve the bill, the majority of those in favour being from Zelenskyy’s ruling party. Zelenskyy later signed the bill into law, a senior official told Agence France-Presse.

The bill would place the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office under the direct authority of the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president.

The NABU investigates instances of corruption among state institutions, while the SAPO prosecutes other corruption.

In an address early Wednesday, Zelenskyy said the NABU and SAPO would “work” regardless of the changes, adding that Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure needed to be cleared of “Russian influences.”

“The prosecutor general is determined to ensure that punishment is inevitable in Ukraine,” he said.

But the Anti-Corruption Action Center, a nongovernmental organization, said the law would render the agencies meaningless as Zelenskyy’s prosecutor general would “stop investigations into all of the president’s friends.”

Protesters in the capital expressed anger at the measure. Some chanted “veto the law.”

“The bill is being rushed through,” said 26-year-old game designer Anastasia.

“It is clear that this is a targeted effort,” she added.

The protesters jeered and booed after Zelenskyy signed the bill into law, an AFP reporter saw.

NABU began work in 2015, as Kyiv sought to bring the country closer to Europe after a 2014 pro-European revolution.

Since its inception, the agency has uncovered widespread graft, including among figures in Zelenskyy’s administration.

Many opponents of the law voiced concern that Ukraine was reversing course after a decade of democratisation.

Ukraine has taken a tough stance on corruption in recent years, both as a prerequisite to joining the EU and to reassure allies who have sent wartime aid, but investigators say it remains a serious problem.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos slammed the vote and said anti-graft institutions were “essential for Ukraine’s EU path.”

“Seriously concerned over today’s vote,” Kos wrote on X. “The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU’s independence is a serious step back.” The chair of the Ukrainian parliament’s anti-corruption committee, Anastasia Radina, said the bill ran counter to Ukraine’s EU accession process.

One European diplomat speaking on the condition of anonymity described the move as “unfortunate.”

“Is it a setback? Yes. Is this a point of non-return? No,” the official told a small group of reporters, including AFP.

Ukraine’s former foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who resigned from the government in 2024, said the measures marked a “bad day for Ukraine.”

“Now the president has a choice — to stand on the side of the people or not,” he said.

On Monday, law enforcement conducted large-scale raids at the NABU, detaining one employee on suspicion of spying for Russia.

Transparency International’s Ukraine office called the raids an “attempt by the authorities to undermine the independence of Ukraine’s post-Revolution of Dignity anti-corruption institutions.” Transparency International ranked Ukraine 105th out of 180 countries in its “corruption perceptions index” in 2024, up from 144 in 2013.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has defended his approval of a contentious bill that weakens Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies as its passage into law triggered the first serious protests against his government.

The move on Tuesday has put the president on a collision course with civil society activists and some of Ukraine’s veterans, and is likely to dismay Ukraine’s European partners.

On Tuesday Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed a controversial bill that effectively removes the independence of the national anti-corruption bureau, known as Nabu, and the specialised anti-corruption prosecutor’s office.

It gives sweeping new powers to Ukraine’s prosecutor general and makes it easier for the government to control which cases are pursued. Critics say the legislation allows political interference and is a major step backwards in the fight against corruption.

Late on Tuesday Zelenskyy signed the bill into law, rejecting calls for him to use his presidential veto.

In his nightly video address, issued well after midnight, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with the Nabu chief, Semen Kryvonos, and other top prosecutors.

Anti-corruption bodies, Zelenskyy said, would continue to function “but without any Russian influence. It all must be cleansed.”

“There must be more justice. Of course, Nabu and Sapo will continue their work,” he said. “It’s also important that the prosecutor general be committed to ensuring real accountability for those who break the law. This is what Ukraine truly needs.”

Earlier, about 1,500 protesters gathered next to Zelenskyy’s presidential administration complex. They shouted slogans outside his window including “Shame” and “Veto the law” and waved homemade banners denouncing the bill.

There were protests in other large cities including Dnipro, Lviv and Odesa. “If the bill goes ahead it will make it harder for Ukraine to join the European Union. We will go back to dictatorship,” said Sasha Kazintseva before Zelenskyy reportedly gave his approval.

“We don’t want to be like Russia. Zelenskyy is still our president. But when he does the wrong things we will say so.”

Her friend Tetiana Kukuruza held up a cardboard sign with the blunt slogan: “Are you fucking crazy?”

She explained: “This is the first time since 2022 that we’ve taken to the streets. We know the names of the deputies who voted for this bill. I’m not saying they are corrupt. But they have interests.”

The protesters gathered in a park immediately below a rococo 19th-century government building, the House of Chimeras. The crowd was made up of students, young activists and army veterans, some of them draped in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, also took part, together with his brother

Wladimir.

Veronika Mol, an artist, said she worried Ukraine was sliding back to the era of Viktor Yanukovych, the corrupt pro-Russian president who fled to Moscow in 2014 after months of street protests.

“I’m surprised this has happened. It looks like some madness. I don’t know what their motives are,” she said.

“People are the power in Ukraine. Not the president or government. It’s terrible we still have to remind them.”

There was vocal condemnation of the bill from prominent soldiers, a celebrity chef and Ukraine’s media. The writer Illia Ponomarenko said civil society was fighting “the dark side of its own state” in parallel with the war against Russia.

He criticised “corruption, abuse of power, lies, lack of transparency, nepotism, impunity, and attacks on democracy and freedom of speech – everything that keeps dragging us back toward the abyss, back into Russia’s colonial criminal stable”.

Several of Ukraine’s high-profile international supporters expressed concern. They included the former US ambassador to Moscow Mike McFaul and the Estonian ex-president Toomas Hendrik Ilves. There was also recognition that protesters could freely voice anti-government opinions – unlike in Russia.

One senior official linked to the military, the head of the HUR military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, called on Tuesday night for efforts to eliminate wartime differences in Ukrainian society. “We have one common misfortune, one enemy,” Budanov posted, without specifically referring to the legislation.

“It is therefore worth resolving internal contradictions through open dialogue to achieve a single common goal: to defend our country.”

Ukraine’s application to join the EU is dependent on the progress it makes in fighting corruption. Since 2022, EU countries have provided Kyiv with significant military and economic support running into billions of euros.

The European commissioner for enlargement, Marta Kos, criticised the bill’s adoption.

“The dismantling of key safeguards protecting [anti-corruption bureau] Nabu’s independence is a serious step back,” Kos wrote on social media, saying that the two bodies were “essential” for Ukraine’s EU path.

Thousands of Ukrainians rallied in Kyiv and other cities on Tuesday, urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to veto legislation which critics say undermines the country’s anti-corruption infrastructure.

The protest marked the first major rally against the government in more than three years of Russia’s ongoing, full-scale invasion.

Ukraine’s parliament had passed a bill which tightened oversight of two key anti-corruption bodies – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Opponents warn the measure could weaken the independence of the agencies and increase political influence over investigations.

Despite public outcry, Zelenskyy reportedly signed the bill into law on Tuesday.

Demonstrators during a protest against a law targeting anti-corruption institutions in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (Demonstrators during a protest against a law targeting anti-corruption institutions in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 22, 2025.)

Fighting corruption is a key condition for Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union and for secure ongoing Western financial support as it fights Russia’s invasion. The move sparked anger among civil society and officials.

“In effect, if this bill becomes law, the head of SAPO will become a nominal figure, while NABU will lose its independence and turn into a subdivision of the prosecutor general’s office,” the agencies said in a joint statement on Telegram.

In a post on X, the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos also expressed concern over the vote in the Ukrainian parliament.

She described it as a “serious step back” and said “Independent bodies like NABU & SAPO are essential for Ukraine’s EU path. Rule of Law remains in the very centre of EU accession negotiations.”

The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International also criticised the news, saying it undermines past reform and damages trust with international partners.

The group urged Zelenskyy to veto the law, warning that otherwise he would share responsibility with the parliament for “dismantling Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure.”

While rallies have taken place since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, they have largely focused on the return of prisoners of war or missing people. Protests, however, remain a traditional form of public pressure in Ukraine, where two previous revolutions were victorious for the public.

Many protesters at Tuesday’s demonstration carried signs reading “Veto the law,” “Protect the anti-corruption system, protect Ukraine’s future,” or simply “We are against it.”

Ukrainians protest in the first wartime rally against a newly passed law, which curbs independence of anti-corruption institutions, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in central Lviv, Ukraine July 22, 2025. REUTERS/Roman Baluk Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

Item 1 of 4 Ukrainians protest in the first wartime rally against a newly passed law, which curbs independence of anti-corruption institutions, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in central Lviv, Ukraine July 22, 2025. REUTERS/Roman Baluk

Summary Parliament grants general prosecutor control over two agencies

Critics allege wider crackdown against anti-corruption community

Move could complicate Kyiv’s European integration

KYIV, July 22 (Reuters) – Ukraine has toughened restrictions on two anti-corruption agencies at the centre of the government’s reform drive, rolling back their autonomy in favour of tighter executive control.

Stamping out endemic graft is a requirement for Kyiv to join the European Union as well as to secure billions in Western aid. Independent investigators have in recent months embarrassed senior officials with allegations of corruption.

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Amendments passed on Tuesday grant the general prosecutor, appointed by the president, strict control over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, several lawmakers said.

The vote drew sharp criticism from the heads of both agencies and a top EU official, and spurred the largest public protests since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The vote came a day after Kyiv’s domestic security agency arrested two NABU officials on suspicion of ties to Russia and conducted sweeping searches into agency employees on other grounds. Critics and the two agencies said the crackdown went too far.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whose party holds a majority in parliament, approved the amendments late on Tuesday. The changes would allow the general prosecutor to transfer cases from the agencies and reassign prosecutors.

In his nightly video address, issued well after midnight, Zelenskiy said he had spoken to NABU chief Semen Kryvonos and other top prosecutors. Anti-corruption bodies, he said, would continue to function “but without any Russian influence. It all must be cleansed.

“There must be more justice. Of course, NABU and SAPO will continue their work,” he said. “It’s also important that the prosecutor general be committed to ensuring real accountability for those who break the law. This is what Ukraine truly needs.”

Kryvonos had urged Zelenskiy not to sign the fast-tracked bill, which he called an attempt to “destroy” Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure.

After Tuesday’s vote, Ukraine’s government bonds fell more than 2% on international markets, with the bulk of the $20 billion of debt restructured last year down over 1 cent at between 45 and 50 cents on the dollar .

Hundreds of Ukrainians protested near the presidential administration in central Kyiv late on Tuesday, with smaller actions taking place in several other cities.

One senior official linked to the military, the head of the HUR military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, called for efforts to eliminate wartime differences in Ukrainian society.

“We have one common misfortune, one enemy,” Budanov wrote on Telegram, without specifically referring to the legislation.

“It is therefore worth resolving internal contradictions through open dialogue to achieve a single common goal – to defend our country.”

PRESSURE ON AGENCIES

Writing on X, EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said she was “seriously concerned” by Tuesday’s vote.

“The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU’s independence is a serious step back,” she said, adding that rule of law was at “the very centre” of EU accession talks.

NABU and SAPO were established after the 2014 Maidan revolution that toppled a pro-Russian president and set Kyiv on a Western course.

The two agencies have stepped up their work during the war, levelling charges against lawmakers, ministers and a former deputy head of Zelenskiy’s administration.

Anti-graft campaigners have been alarmed since authorities charged a top anti-corruption activist this month with fraud and evading military service. Critics have cast those charges as political retribution for exposing corrupt officials.

The government has also faced criticism for rejecting the candidacy of an economic security chief and current NABU detective who was unanimously backed by an internationally supervised committee.

‘MOST DANGEROUS MOMENT’

A Western diplomat familiar with Ukraine’s reform effort described the developments as “the most dangerous moment” yet for the independence of anti-corruption authorities.

“The Ukrainian side is testing the limits more and more,” the person said, referring to the patience of Kyiv’s allies.

Influential Ukrainians denounced the vote on social media as a betrayal of Ukraine’s decade-long geopolitical ambition.

Fighting corruption is seen as critical to erasing a legacy of Russian rule, a sentiment echoed at the protest in Kyiv.

Vladyslava Kirstyuk, 18, said memories of her childhood in occupied eastern Ukraine, after Russia’s covert invasion in 2014, left a strong impression.

“I know what it means for one person to have all the power, when nothing is transparent and everything is working against you,” she said. “I don’t want it to be the same for us here.”

Additional reporting by Anastasiia Malenko, Yuliia Dysa and Mark Jones; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Rod Nickel, Ron Popeski and Leslie Adler

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The logo of consulting firm McKinsey and Company is seen at the high profile startups and high tech leaders gathering, Viva Tech,in Paris, France May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

July 23 (Reuters) – McKinsey has instructed its mainland China business to steer clear of projects deploying generative artificial intelligence, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.

The move was prompted by the US governments increasing scrutiny of US companies operating in sensitive sectors such as AI and quantum computing in China, the newspaper said.

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The ban extends to projects in the offices of multinational clients, but does not stop McKinsey’s China business from working with companies that have more established types of AI in their products, the report added.

Last year, McKinsey further strengthened its client service policies in China, with work focusing on multinational and Chinese private sector firms, a McKinsey spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

“We follow the most rigorous client selection policy in our profession, and we continue to evolve and strengthen our approach,” the spokesperson added.

The company employs over 1000 individuals in China, across six regions, according to its website.

The report comes at a time of increasing tension between Washington and Beijing, where China has imposed exit bans on some US citizens visiting the nation.

Last year, US lawmakers demanded a probe into the McKinsey’s failure to disclose its work with China’s government.

Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan and Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala and Nivedita Bhattacharjee

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