Anti-Zelensky protests break out on streets of Ukraine over new under-the-radar ‘anti-corruption bill’

A new law in Ukraine has sparked massive protests as angry demonstrators took to the streets to condemn an anti-corruption bill signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“The law, passed under the radar in a late-night signature on Tuesday, was confirmed on the official website of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament,” Daily Mail reported. “It hands sweeping new powers to the Prosecutor General’s Office, allowing it to seize control of high-profile corruption investigations from the country’s fiercely independent watchdogs – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).”

Despite a martial law ban on public gatherings in the nation, Ukrainians by the thousands expressed their disapproval in demonstrations, with a reported 2,000 to 3,000 people gathering in Kyiv near the Ivan Franko Theatre.

Zelensky defended the bill that stunned many with its content and the way it was pushed through.

“The anti-corruption infrastructure will work,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on Telegram on Tuesday, according to ABC News. “Only without Russian influences — everything needs to be cleansed of this. And there should be more justice.”

“Of course, NABU and SAPO will work. And it is important that the Prosecutor General is determined to ensure that in Ukraine the inevitability of punishment for those who go against the law is really ensured,” Zelensky added. “And this is what is really needed for Ukraine. The cases that were pending must be investigated.”

Huge protests erupt in Kyiv against Ukrainian President Zelensky as he is a dictator and refuses to make a peace deal and end the war.

Good for the Ukrainian people! Throw him out of office!

And America must STOP funding and sending weapons!!!

pic.twitter.com/WMJuMB7PlA

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) July 22, 2025

“For years, officials who fled Ukraine have been living peacefully abroad for some reason — in very nice countries and without legal consequences,” Zelenskyy said. “This is abnormal. There is no rational explanation why criminal proceedings worth billions have been ‘hanging’ for years. And there is no explanation why the Russians can still get the information they need.”

On Wednesday, after meeting with the prosecutor general as well as law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, Zelensky posted, “We all hear what society says.”

“We agreed that next week there will be an in-depth working meeting regarding the general action plan,” Zelenksyy wrote. “And in two weeks, a joint plan should be ready — outlining the necessary steps to strengthen Ukraine, address existing issues, provide more justice and genuinely protect the interests of Ukrainian society.”

Large protest in Kyiv tonight, the first signs of public dissent against Zelenskyy’s government since the full scale invasion, as demonstrators rally against the passing of a bill stripping anti-corruption bodies of their powers pic.twitter.com/xcMiXLAhRc

— Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) July 22, 2025

But fears about a power grab and a setback in fighting corruption have critics concerned about Zelensky’s intentions.

“We are not losing the war because the West did not give us enough weapons. We are losing the war because of corruption, lack of professional management and because many do not see why they should fight for Zelenskyy’s autocracy,” a former Ukrainian official, who wished to remain anonymous, told ABC News.

“Yes, there are many questions about the independence, impartiality, and adherence to legal procedures by all law enforcement agencies,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram. “But the system needs to be changed, not turned into a bulldog of the authorities.”

Senior Staff Writer
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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