Zelenskyy faces mass protests, for the first time since the Russian war began, about changes in anti -corruption agencies

London – In a first since Russia launched its large -scale invasion More than three years ago, generalized protests have taken place in Ukraine, not against Russia or its president Vladimir Putin, but against the president of Ukraine himself, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the country’s parliament, El Rada.

On Tuesday night, Zelenskyy signed a bill, after it was accelerated through the RADA, which gives the Attorney General of Ukraine (approximately equivalent to the United States Attorney General), more power over two anti -corruption agencies known for his fierce independence. The attorney general is a designated political one, not an elected official.

In the hours before Zelenskyy signed the measure, thousands of people in the capital kyiv, the western city of Lvivro, Dnipro in the East and Odessa in the south made their frustration and fear known, challenging the prohibitions of martial law in mass meetings to leave and protest. His concern is based on the continuous autonomy of the National Office against Corruption of Ukraine (NABU) and the Office of Specialized Anti -Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), which for years has tried to combat the graft of public officials, regardless of their political affiliation.

Some critics argue that the new law is a political remuneration. In April, the National Office against Corruption of Ukraine accused a former attached chief of the administration of Zelenskyy, Andrii Smyrnov, with money laundering and accepting a bribe. Others fear a possible setback in some degree of authoritarianism in the country that was previously directed by the president Viktor Yanukovych, known for his narrow links with the oligarchs.

The European Union of 27 nations, which has been a firm defender of Zelenskyy and Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion, also expressed concern about changes in the management of anti -corruption agencies. The corruption of struggle is demonstrably crucial for Ukraine’s commitment to join the EU.

The EU extension commissioner, Marta Kos, described the vote for the Parliament of Ukraine “a serious step” in a publication on social networks, and added that “independent organizations such as Nabu and toad are essential for the EU path of Ukraine. The rule of law remains in the center of the EU accession negotiations.”

Zelenskyy seemed to recognize anger in his country for the new legislation, saying in a statement published on social networks after the vote of Rada: “We all listen to what society is saying.”

“We see what people expect from state institutions: they guaranteed justice and effective functioning of each institution. We discussed the necessary administrative and legislative decisions that would strengthen the work of each institution, would solve existing contradictions and eliminate threats,” said Zelenskyy. “Everyone will work together. At the political level, we will provide support.”

He had previously emphasized that the two anti -corruption agencies “would still work”, but said they should be far from what he said it was “Russian influence.” He said that some important corruption cases had been “liars” with agencies for years without any rational explanation, but offered no explanation of the supposed Russian influence.

New Round of Russian-Ukraine Peace Conversations

Meanwhile, the Kremlin confirmed that a third round of direct peace talks from Russia-Ukraine would begin in Türkiye on Wednesday night.

“Our delegation is flying to Istanbul, and in fact, the negotiations take place there tonight,” said spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “The main discussion theme will be the peace memoranda that were shared during the second round of conversations.”

He said the two parties would discuss more exchanges from prisoners. In the last two months, Russia and Ukraine have exchanged more than 1,000 prisoners of war, but the negotiations have produced so far Little hope of a high fire in war.

On Tuesday, Peskov said that Moscow did not expect any “miraculous advance” in Türkiye, calling the two parts “diametrically opposite.”

Moscow has demanded a litany of concessions of Ukraine, including that he abandons the territory of the Russian troops that have taken over the war. Russia currently occupies approximately one fifth of the territory of Ukraine. The Putin government also demanded that Ukraine abandon its ambitions to join the EU and the NATO alliance led by the United States, and even insisted that it should significantly reduce its military and make Russia the official language of Ukraine.

• Corruption
• War
• Ukraine
• Russia
• Protest
• Vladimir Putin
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy
• Kyiv