MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. Protests over the law signed by Vladimir Zelensky, which effectively eliminates the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NACB) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SACPO) have begun again in Ukraine.

According to the publication Obshchestvennoye. Novosti, rallies are currently taking place in Lvov, Rovno, Ternopol and Kharkov.

Zelensky has long tried to establish control over NACBU and SACPO, but they had always managed to retain their independence. On June 23, NACBU filed corruption charges against Alexey Chernyshov, who at that time served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity of Ukraine. Chernyshov is considered a very influential figure in Zelensky’s inner circle, which exacerbated the conflict. According to the opposition, other individuals in the Zelensky camp could soon face charges as well.

On July 21, the Security Service conducted searches at NACBU, and raided SACPO. On July 22, the Verkhovna Rada, where the majority of deputies belong to the same party as Zelensky, passed a law to eliminate the independence of NACBU and SACPO. That same evening, about 2,000 Kiev residents rallied against the law, demanding, among other things, the resignation of the head of Zelensky’s office, Andrey Yermak.

However, Zelensky signed the law, which came into force on July 23.

This triggered new protests, with rallies spreading across Ukraine over the past two days. On the day the law came into force, more than 9,000 protesters gathered in central Kiev.