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Ukrainians Ramp Up Protests, As Zelensky Seeks Way Out
Ukraine’s president pledged a new course after protesters criticized his signing of a bill to strip anticorruption agencies of power.
KYIV, Ukraine—Street protests here sparked by President Volodymyr Zelensky’s gutting of his country’s anticorruption agency are exposing long-dormant divisions between the government and society at a critical moment in Ukraine’s more-than three-year war against Russia.
Thousands of Ukrainians have hit the streets across the country, including in Zelensky’s hometown of Kryviy Rih, after his quick-fire approval on Tuesday of legislation that places Ukrainian anticorruption bodies, established at the behest of the U.S. in 2014, under the power of a prosecutor appointed by the president.
Several thousand gathered in Ivan Franko Square not far from Parliament on Wednesday evening carrying banners with slogans such as, “Are you f—g kidding me?” and “Our trust isn’t limitless.”
The demonstrations, the largest since Russia’s 2022 invasion, have given expression to pent-up frustration with Zelensky’s management of the country, in particular his administration’s failure to tackle widespread graft at a time when resources are desperately needed for defense of the country.
The outrage over the law is the first significant public fracturing of a united front against Russia’s invasion. Ukraine’s military spy chief warned on social media that the situation weakened the country’s unity—a key Russian goal.
“Ukrainian history has taught us—a nation loses if internal conflicts tear it apart,” Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov said in a social-media post on Wednesday. “We have one shared misfortune, one enemy. Therefore internal contradictions should be solved through open dialogue for achieving one common goal—to defend our country.”
The protests pose a fresh political challenge to Zelensky, whose bravery in remaining in Kyiv and rallying his country drew praise at home and abroad in the early months of the invasion.
In a video address Wednesday evening, Zelensky said he has heard what people are saying on social media and in the streets and that he would introduce fresh legislation on law enforcement to Parliament. He didn’t provide any details.
“And very important: all norms for independence of anticorruption institutions will be there,” Zelensky said.
The tensions come at a critical moment in the war, with Russia’s military in the ascendancy across the 800-mile front line but unable to force a breakthrough. Russia is banking on eroding Ukrainian resistance in the rear as well, including through an aerial bombing campaign that is killing civilians across the country.
Ukrainian society has stood firm. But the consolidation against a common enemy behind Zelensky’s leadership has masked deeper suspicions about his leadership that had led his popularity to slide ahead of the invasion. Critics accuse him of an increasingly authoritarian bend, including centralized control over television channels and a ban on foreign travel handed to former President Petro Poroshenko, a political opponent. They also question the rising power of his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who wields significant power over the government.
Corruption is one of the most explosive issues in Ukraine, especially during an invasion that has killed tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians and laid waste to dozens of towns and cities.
It was unclear how Zelensky’s gambit to overcome the crisis would work. He said the legislation he would propose would ensure the independence of anticorruption institutions, in contrast to the law he signed a day earlier that stripped them of power.
In the Ukrainian Parliament, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a member of the opposition Holos party, has introduced a law to repeal the changes and is exploring a legal challenge.
“When we take an obvious step toward complete liquidation of anticorruption infrastructure, this is a direct message to all corrupt officials to keep stealing, nothing will happen to you,” Zheleznyak said.
Zheleznyak is from Mariupol, a city that was brutally besieged and then occupied by Russia. His family, he said, has lost everything, and he doesn’t want to see resources siphoned by corrupt officials instead of being put toward the war effort.
European leaders questioned Zelensky’s moves. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who leads the EU’s executive arm, called him Wednesday to express her “strong concerns about the consequences of the amendments, and she requested the Ukrainian government for explanations,” her office said.
Ukraine’s anticorruption agency, known as NABU, and an anticorruption prosecutor were established under Western pressure after a 2014 street revolution ousted a corrupt pro-Russian president.
They quickly targeted high-profile suspects, including officials and lawmakers, the likes of which had for years used their positions of power to enrich themselves and associates.
Ukrainian politics has long been driven by the power of street protests, which also forced a rerun of a presidential election in 2005 after demonstrations known as the Orange Revolution.
During the second night of protests in Kyiv on Wednesday, participants sang the national anthem and chanted “shame” while holding makeshift cardboard signs. There were no speeches as protesters strove to remain apolitical.
“Either you fight in the war or you fight for your rights,” said Maksym Starizhko, a young man holding an “oh s—t here we go again” sign who said the speed with which the law was passed wasn’t right. “There’s no other option.”
Karolina Surai, a young woman who moved from eastern Kharkiv to Kyiv to escape the constant bombardment and encroaching Russian forces, said she came to the protest because “our government doesn’t value and doesn’t want to hear its people.”
“There can be nothing worse than war, nothing scarier, and we have to do everything to end it sooner,” she said.
The mood was determined as protesters filled the ornate streets in front of the historic Ivan Franko theater near Parliament—the closest protests could come to the government quarter cordoned off by roadblocks for wartime safety.
“We’re dissatisfied with the actions of the government and the brazenness with which they act,” said Maksym Cherkaskiy, who serves in the armed forces.
“It’s our first protest together,” said his girlfriend, Viktoria Zarutska, after the two shared a kiss.
The crowd was filled with young people, but also with veterans, active-duty service members and the elderly, many of whom invoked revolutions past on posters that said, “I can’t believe I have to do this s—t again.”
“I didn’t feel well in the morning and I thought about not going, but then I thought, I would have been so ashamed of myself,” said Zoya Vasylenko.
She and her friend Vladyslava, who declined to give her last name, have attended protests in support of prisoners of war in the past, but this was the largest street action they have been to.
“I don’t want for my niece, my future children, my younger brother to live in a country with corruption,” said Vladyslava. “I don’t want to live in a country with corruption.”
