MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. Protests against a law effectively removing Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) of their independence took place on July 30 in eight cities across the country, including Kiev, the Ukrinform news agency reported.

In the capital, demonstrators gathered near the Ivan Franko Theater in the city center, close to the office of the president of Ukraine. According to the agency, around 1,000 people attended the rally, while Ukrainian parliamentarian Artem Dmitruk estimated the turnout at roughly 5,000. Protesters chanted slogans demanding the return of NABU and SAPO’s independence, including "Hands off NABU and SAPO!", "We stood, we stand, and we will keep standing!", "Power to the millions, not the millionaires!", and "Corruption kills." They also called for the appointment of a head to the Bureau of Economic Security.

Similar protests were held in Vinnitsa, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankovsk, Lvov, Odessa, Ternopol, and Kharkov. Demonstrators echoed the Kiev rally’s slogans and urged members of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) to pass a new bill that would essentially reverse the previous decision undermining NABU and SAPO’s independence. "We joined the protest to draw public attention, people cannot allow this new law to be buried," a Vinnytsia protester was quoted as saying.

"We hope they finally hear us. If the vote fails tomorrow, we will keep taking to the streets and standing our ground," said a protester in Odessa. "This is my third protest calling on the parliament to support the bill restoring NABU and SAPO’s independence tomorrow. It’s crucial," a demonstrator in Ternopol stated.

The Ukrainian outlet Strana reported that another rally is planned for July 31 in Kiev’s Mariinsky Park, near the Verkhovna Rada, in support of the bill reinstating NABU and SAPO’s authority.

Corruption watchdogs

Zelensky has long tried to gain control over the agencies. On June 23, the bureau filed corruption charges against Alexey Chernyshov, who at the time served as deputy prime minister. Chernyshov is regarded as a very influential figure in Zelensky’s inner circle. According to some opposition lawmakers, the corruption watchdogs could soon bring charges against other people close to Zelensky.

On July 21, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted raids in the offices of the bureau’s staff and also inspected the prosecutor’s office. On July 22, the legislature, where the majority of seats is controlled by Zelensky’s party, passed a bill aiming to strip the watchdogs of their independent status. In the evening of the same day, about 2,000 Kiev residents took to the streets in protest. Rallies also took place in some other cities. Even so, Zelensky signed the bill into law and it came into force on July 23. This led to a fresh wave of protests.

Criticism of the new law also came from the West. Given the backlash, Zelensky made a reversal and on July 24 submitted a bill to the legislature seeking to reinforce the powers of corruption watchdogs, which, in effect, overturns the previous decision to curb their independence. Still, the bill would require the security service to subject employees of these agencies to tests six months later.