Zelensky resigned under pressure from citizens and the EU

President Volodymyr Zelensky restored the independence of Ukraine's main anti-corruption agencies on Wednesday, seeking to ease a political crisis that has shaken confidence in his wartime leadership and raised concerns among Western partners.

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Kiev and other cities in recent days in a rare show of discontent after lawmakers, led by Zelensky's ruling party, hastily passed amendments last week that weakened the powers of prominent agencies.

Zelensky reversed course after public outcry and pressure from top European officials, who warned that Ukraine was jeopardizing its bid for European Union membership by weakening anti-corruption institutions. He signed the new law into law on Tuesday shortly after lawmakers passed it by 331 votes to none, saying the legislation “guarantees the absence of any external influence or interference.”

"Ukraine is a democracy - there is no doubt about that," Zelensky said on the Telegram app.

The law passed yesterday reverses amendments that gave the prosecutor general, chosen by Zelensky, the power to divert cases from anti-corruption agencies and reassign prosecutors - a move critics argued was designed to shield his allies from prosecution.

Eradicating corruption and strengthening the rule of law are key conditions for Kiev's entry into the EU, which Ukrainians see as crucial to their future as they defend themselves against Russian invasion.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the law adopted yesterday as a "positive step" and called on Ukraine to continue implementing reforms.

Protests continued after Zelensky submitted a new bill last week, and hundreds of people gathered outside the presidential building in Kiev late Wednesday night, chanting "shame!" and "the people are the power!"

Ukrainians, following a night of deadly Russian airstrikes, also protested outside parliament ahead of yesterday's vote, pressuring lawmakers to pass the new law. After the law passed, participants greeted it with cheers and applause.

"Some are fighting on the front lines, and some have to show the authorities here where they belong," protester Mikola Pominchuk (42) told Reuters.

The protesters have made it clear that they have no revolutionary intentions, most of whom are well aware of the dangers of political destabilization during a state of war. Instead, they argue that the protests show that Ukrainian democracy is functioning despite the lack of elections under martial law.

Yesterday's parliamentary session was broadcast on television for the first time since 2022, lifting a security embargo on filming. Opposition lawmakers have been sharply critical of Zelensky and the presidential administration ahead of the vote. Opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Yurchshin thanked Ukrainians for stopping the government from "taking a step back from the abyss" of autocracy.

Some MPs appeared in parliament with handmade banners, similar to those carried by protesters.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) have stepped up their anti-corruption campaign and filed charges against lawmakers and senior state officials, including a former deputy prime minister who was accused last month of accepting a $345.000 bribe.

In an interview with Reuters last week, after Zelensky reversed his decision, NABU head Semen Krivonos said he expected continued pressure on his agency from corrupt structures that are not interested in clearing up the situation in Ukraine.

He said that he and other anti-corruption officials feel even greater responsibility after the protests, but he also called on the state leadership to help them in the fight.

"This responsibility must be shared with the government, which needs to react and say: OK, there is corruption here - let's eradicate it."