On the night of July 22, demonstrations erupted across Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, and other Ukrainian cities as citizens voiced opposition to proposed legislation that would undermine the autonomy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). Ukrainian news outlets covered the protests extensively.
In Kyiv, protesters assembled outside the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater, where war veteran Dmytro Kozyatynskyy addressed the crowd. According to Hromadske, several hundred demonstrators participated.
Despite public demands for a presidential veto, Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky ultimately signed the bill later that day. In a late-night video statement on July 23, he defended the decision as essential to "eliminate Russian influence," while assuring that NABU and SAPO would remain operational.
Zelensky emphasized: "Cases left unresolved for years must be pursued. Officials who fled Ukraine continue living comfortably abroad without facing justice—this is unacceptable. There’s no justification for stalling billion-dollar investigations indefinitely, nor for allowing Russians to access sensitive information. What matters is removing Russian interference and ensuring accountability is visible to society."
The controversial bill, which passed swiftly through parliamentary committees and received rapid approval from lawmakers, was fast-tracked to the president’s desk. The legislation grants Ukraine’s Prosecutor General authority to review case files, reassign or dismiss investigations handled by NABU, and oversee SAPO’s operations. Leaders of both anti-corruption agencies had urged Zelensky to reject the law.
The developments followed July 21 raids by the SBU security service, which targeted 15 current and former NABU employees without judicial warrants. Authorities cited various reasons, including alleged connections to Russia.