Ukraine's anti-corruption law

Source: EU accession was close – then the law was hammered

The EU Commission was close to officially starting Ukraine's EU accession process when the country suddenly hammered away at the criticized amendment to the law. This is according to a European diplomatic source for the Kyiv Independent.

But the amendment to the law, which in practice meant political control over the anti-corruption authorities, has increased doubts in Brussels, the newspaper writes.

Even if Ukraine is now trying to back down from the criticized law, the damage has already been done to the EU, says Elena Davlikanova at the think tank Center for European Policy Analysis. The EU realized that in just a few hours Ukraine could destroy decades of work to reduce corruption.

- It's not just about the law itself, but about the signal it sends: that important institutions can come under political control in a single day.

Experts now also say that much will be determined by how Ukraine acts next.

Ukraine sees propaganda that Zelensky will soon be impeached

After the criticized anti-corruption law in Ukraine, the Russian propaganda media went into full force, reports Kyiv Post.

The propaganda claimed that the US and Britain, together with Zelensky's close associates, had a secret meeting in the Alps to impeach Zelensky. This was absolutely necessary to restore the West's trust in Ukraine, according to the Russian newspapers.

On Tuesday, Ukraine's security service felt compelled to condemn all Russian information as completely fabricated and false. The Russians' goal was clear: to incite distrust of the leadership and reduce Ukrainian resilience, the security service writes. The post urges Ukrainians not to spread Russian disinformation.

Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Law — The Case

• On July 22, the Ukrainian parliament voted to pass a law that curtailed the independence of the anti-corruption agencies NABU and SAPO, which sparked widespread criticism domestically and internationally.
• The law subordinated the agencies to the Prosecutor General, which critics and EU representatives said threatened the rule of law and risked weakening the fight against corruption.
• President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law despite protests by thousands of demonstrators in Kyiv and several other cities, as well as warnings from the EU.
• Following massive criticism and pressure from the EU and civil society, Zelensky presented a new bill on July 24 that would restore the independence of the agencies.
• The EU paused the disbursement of €1.5 billion in aid to Ukraine, but stressed continued support if the country restores the rule of law and anti-corruption work.