The Ukrainian Parliament restores the independence of anti-corruption bodies
The Ukrainian Parliament (Rada) has restored the independence of the nation's main anti-corruption bodies: the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
The Ukrainian Parliament had recently approved a proposal ratified by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which placed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office under the control of the new national prosecutor general, Ruslan Kravchenko, who was personally appointed by Zelensky himself as he is very close to the Ukrainian president's inner circle.
In this way, President Zelensky responded to the protests led by thousands of Ukrainian citizens in cities such as the capital Kiev, Lviv, Odessa and Dnipro, where slogans against the Ukrainian government such as ‘Corruption equals death’ and ‘Shame’ were chanted, in what were the first significant protests against the Ukrainian government since the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory began last week.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has now lasted almost three and a half years. It is a bloody war that has left tens of thousands of victims and caused incalculable damage in an offensive by Vladimir Putin's Russia, which seeks to annex Ukrainian territories under a supposed historical claim to areas considered historically part of the Russian Federation.
Since the start of the war, there has been national unity around the government led by Volodymyr Zelensky, who became president of the nation in May 2019, in order to confront Russia's despicable aggression. However, there have recently been public protests against the established power due to a lack of transparency and allegations of state corruption. This is particularly the case following the decision to place the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office under the control of the Prosecutor General's Office, headed by Ruslan Kravchenko. Ruslan Kravchenko has been head of the Kiev Regional Military Administration (from April 2023 to December 2024), head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine (from 31 December 2024 to 17 June 2025) and now serving as Ukraine's attorney general (since 21 June 2025), in which capacity he is very close to President Zelensky.
Volodymyr Zelensky held consultations with various European leaders on the bill now passed by the Rada to restore the independence of the main anti-corruption bodies, which was positively highlighted by the anti-corruption agencies themselves and described as a positive political move by Ukraine's allies and civil society.
This political decision is very positive for the Ukrainian state led by President Zelensky, as it is a favourable gesture towards the independence of the bodies investigating corruption in the national state apparatus, which may prevent abuses of power and authoritarian tendencies in a Ukraine that is still struggling to rid itself of the Russian aggressor after a war that has now lasted almost three and a half years.
