On 21 July, law enforcement officers raided the offices of the
National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), to investigate 15 employees as part of an alleged investigation into traffic violations. Investigators, led by the
Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and
Prosecutor's General Office, later said the investigation centered on a pro-Russian member of parliament suspected of
treason. On 22 July 2025, Ukraine's
Verkhovna Rada passed a controversial law, , that stripped NABU and the
Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) of independence and gave new powers to the Prosecutor General, Zelenskyy loyalist
Ruslan Kravchenko. The bill was passed by the ruling
Servant of the People party, with support from the opposition
Batkivshchyna party and the
Platform for Life and Peace; it was opposed by the liberal
Holos party. Protests began soon after, demanding that Zelenskyy veto the bill. Despite widespread protests, Zelenskyy signed the law into power on the evening of 22 July and defended it on
Telegram in his nightly address, saying that "the anti-corruption infrastructure will work ... NABU and SAPO will work", but without "Russian influences" that Zelenskyy said had to be removed. Based on sources within parliament, law enforcement agencies, and the team of President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
Ukrainska Pravda reported that the plan against NABU and SAPO had been developed within the President's Office, particularly by head of the President's Office
Andriy Yermak, after investigations against various figures that Ukrainska Pravda wrote upset Zelenskyy.
The Economist wrote that the bill had been "orchestrated from the top" by Zelenskyy and Yermak. Critics pointed out the law could have made it easier for the government to choose which corruption cases to prosecute. Critics also feared that this law may hurt
Ukraine's efforts to join the European Union.
EU officials called the law a "step back". == Protests ==