What is going on in Ukraine?

You might have seen the public protests in Ukraine during the last few days. The protests are not about overthrowing the regime, like they were in 2013 against Yanukovych – they are about continuing the fight against corruption.

After Maidan in 2013–2014, independent agencies to help fight corruption were established. They were separate from the main justice system, as that system itself needed significant reform — a process that started soon after Maidan and has not yet been completed. So, different bodies with different rights were created to fight top-level corruption. Three of the most prominent are National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), Specialized Anti-corruption Prosecutors Office (SAPO), and Bureau of Economic Security (BEB). As all of these agencies are fighting high-level corruption, it is crucial to keep them independent of any potential influence.

A few months ago, things started happening. Even though the committee of experts elected the new head of BEB, the Cabinet refused to confirm him. It was claimed that newly elected CEO has "Russian influence" although no proofs were presented even though asked by candidate himself and by committee.

A month ago, NABU charged Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshev with corruption, and the investigation is ongoing. Chernyshev is not in the newly elected Cabinet, and his Ministry of Unity is being merged with the Ministry of Social Affairs. A few weeks later, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) charged one of the main corruption fighters, Vitalii Shabunin, with “receiving money for serving in the forces even though he was dislocated.” The irony is that he was dislocated by a decision of his commander and reassigned to NABU to help in investigations as an expert. (Skipping some details.)

Then in July 21, massive SBU raids began in the homes of employees at NABU and SAPO as their agents were accused of "Russian influence". Over 70 searched were conducted.

Just a day later, breaking standard protocols and procedures, legislative act No. 12414 was suddenly brought to a second reading in Parliament (Rada). That seemed to be surprise even to parliamentarians, as it wasn’t supposed to be on the agenda.

This act stripped NABU and SAPO of their independence by placing them under the control of the Prosecutor General. While this might sound logical in some countries, the situation in Ukraine is different: by placing them under control of Procecutor General there is a disproportinal concentration of power.

So, it was thought that certain institutions must remain separate to keep balance until a full reform of the courts is completed. After that, such temporary structures might be dissolved.

What happened next? All major Ukrainian anti-corruption organizations, as well as the American Chamber of Commerce and other organizations began protesting. They emphasized that independent institutions are the foundation of the fight against corruption, which the public perceives as a significant issue. Soon, international organizations and institutions from key European Union figures to OECD and EBRD joined in. They reminded Ukraine that maintaining independent institutions is a condition in IMF loan agreements and part of the EU accession roadmap.

Then came the youth protests thousands of young people in all major cities brought creative and uncensored banners, such as:

“I can’t believe we still have to protest this s**t.”

"EU sees everything"

"My father is in Pokrovsk I am under the President's office".

This was a clear message of Ukraine’s EU path and anti-corruption reforms.

Some very poor attempts were made to gaslight the protests saying "these are paid protests" and "Russians have paid for these". Streets responded with banners. "No-one has to pay us, hatered is for free".

On the second day of protests, President Zelenskyy responded, saying that “he heard the people” and international reps, and he would reverse the amendments by presidential decree. The amendments are now awaiting a vote in Parliament — once the parliamentarians return from summer vacation, which they took right after the vote. According to Speaker Ruslan Stefancuk - it will happen next Thursday.

This is actually one more sign that Ukraine is NOT Russia and will never be. Thousands of people came out to streets (with VERY outspoken banners) when the felt that any of their rights are being revoked and Parliament had to take step back and „erase and rewind“.