I Will Propose a Bill to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine That Will Be the Response; All the Norms for the Independence of Anti-Corruption Institutions Will Be in Place – Address by the President

23 July 2025 – 19:12

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

A few things from today.

Right now in Türkiye, our team’s meetings are already in progress. The first was with the Turkish side in Ankara on key security issues so important for both our countries. I’m receiving hourly reports. We expect that today’s further opportunity for meetings with the Russian side in Istanbul – the opportunity to take the right steps – will not be wasted. We are determined to continue working for the release of our people from Russian captivity, for the return of our Ukrainian children, and for a real ceasefire. The priority is preparation for a leaders’ meeting, and our delegation has the necessary authority for this – directives for discussing the key issues.

Also, all day today, preparations continued for the new stage of the exchange. We are waiting for our people back home. It is very important that despite all difficulties, Ukrainians are coming back. And for every name, we conduct checks and gather all information. There have been many cases when our guys were listed as missing in action, but we found them in captivity. We carefully verify all this every time.

Of course, there were many meetings with government officials and representatives of law enforcement agencies. That’s actually how my day began – with a very detailed conversation involving the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, the State Bureau of Investigation, and Ukraine’s Prosecutor General. It was important to me that each of them share their arguments and their perspective. It was important that they finally tell each other what had long been building up. I really value the agreement to work as a team – to continue collaborating, and to implement measures that can truly create a sense of unavoidable accountability, and therefore justice, in Ukraine. We agreed that the heads of these institutions will jointly propose an action plan – a plan of concrete steps that can strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine. Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days – what they are saying on social media, to each other, on the streets. It’s not falling on deaf ears. We’ve analyzed all the concerns, all the aspects of what needs to be changed and what needs to be stepped up. I will propose a bill to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine that will be the response. It will ensure the strength of the rule of law system. And there will be no Russian influence or interference in the activities of law enforcement. And very importantly: all the norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be in place. I strongly expect specific proposals of the legal norms that should make it happen from our group of heads of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, from the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. This will be a presidential bill, and we will implement it as part of our strategy for the transformation of the state. Also today, I signed a decree to reduce bureaucratic procedures and immediately launch an audit of public spending. I expect the Government of Ukraine to deliver concrete results within a month – so that we can redirect as many state resources as possible to Ukraine’s defense and to our state’s resilience. We are also preparing meaningful steps on deregulation – to give people more freedom. We will definitely make it all happen. And I thank everyone who supports these efforts. And what will remain most important is not losing our national unity, ending this war, stopping this Russian evil, and securing a dignified peace for Ukraine. And exactly as we all envision it – as a full-fledged part of Europe. We’ll make it happen.

Glory to Ukraine!

What I’ve italicized and bolded above all sounds really good. And it makes sense. It would’ve sounded better and made more sense if this had been done first and then used the outcome of those discussion to transparently make reforms. Instead he did what he, his party, and his parliamentary allies did what they did yesterday the way they did it yesterday. Which means it’s now time to tap dance as fast as possible.

From The Financial Times:

Six years ago, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a video urging citizens to call the hotline of Ukraine’s anti-corruption authority if they were offered bribes or kickbacks.

Now the agency is at the centre of the biggest political crisis of his wartime presidency after his drive to seize control triggered fresh allegations of an authoritarian power grab, sparking protests in Kyiv and sending shockwaves through Europe.

The unexpected decision on Tuesday to bring Ukraine’s two flagship anti-corruption bodies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sapo) — under the control of the president’s handpicked prosecutor has provoked rare public outcry and criticism of executive over-reach in wartime.

One government adviser accused Ukraine’s leaders of silencing dissent and enabling authoritarian drift, betraying the democratic principles for which Ukrainians have fought and died during years of war against Russian aggression.

“The Russians want to kill us . . . But you get used to that feeling,” Liubov Tsybulska wrote on Facebook. “Much worse is feeling danger from those who govern your country — from your own people, to whom you gave up part of your freedoms during wartime.”

Zelenskyy signed the bill into law late on Tuesday, as more than 2,000 protesters outside his fourth-floor office window shouted for him to veto it and chanted “Shame!” Hundreds stayed on the street past the midnight military curfew in a rare act of wartime defiance — including veterans and soldiers with prostheses from battle injuries.

Organisers are calling for further demonstrations in the capital and in the cities of Lviv, Odesa and Dnipro in coming days.

The hasty manoeuvres to bring the anti-corruption bodies under the oversight of prosecutor-general Ruslan Kravchenko, a Zelenskyy appointee, were set in motion over the weekend by the president and his powerful chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, according to several lawmakers and western diplomats familiar with the matter.

But Kravchenko himself said he had not been notified by the president of the plan, telling reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday that he had found out the same way much of the public had — on a popular Telegram channel run by a Ukrainian MP.

The rush appears to have been sparked by investigations into members of Zelenskyy’s circle and the president’s desire to further consolidate control over powerful institutions during wartime. Civil society leaders said he had timed the move on the assumption that western allies would be too distracted — including by US President Donald Trump’s turbulent policy moves — to notice internal Ukrainian politics.

Western partners have remained cautious about publicly criticising Kyiv, including on corruption, understanding that Russia would weaponise such criticism, said western diplomats in Kyiv.

Several officials close to Zelenskyy said it seemed at least in part in response to a criminal case opened by Nabu against the president’s close ally and former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, who was charged with abuse of power and illegal enrichment last month. Chernyshov, who denies the allegations, was dismissed in last week’s reshuffle.

The new law came just over a week after Zelenskyy and senior aides launched raids on prominent critics and activists, leading to accusations that wartime powers were being used to marginalise opponents, silence civil society and tighten control over state institutions. That followed sanctions earlier this year targeting high-profile figures, including former president Petro Poroshenko.

The president’s office ordered MPs back to the capital for an urgent session on Tuesday, with MPs from Zelenskyy’s ruling faction told that “the boss” was watching closely and noting any opposition, according to a lawmaker from the president’s party.

Most complied. The legislation was passed with the help of votes from former pro-Russian MPs and the party of former prime minister and political firebrand Yulia Tymoshenko.

In an interview with the Ukrainian news site Livyy Bereh on Wednesday, Nabu director Semen Kryvonos said that among the MPs who voted in favour of the law were several “who have the status of suspects” in cases being investigated by the agency.

While Zelenskyy insisted the shake-up was needed to root out Russian influence inside his country’s anti-corruption bodies, his critics warn it undermines democratic checks, weakens the country’s institutional integrity and risks alienating Ukraine’s western backers at a pivotal moment in the war against Russia.

“We discussed various challenges, all of them,” Zelenskyy said in a midnight video address early on Wednesday, referencing meetings with the prosecutor-general and the heads of Nabu, Sapo and Ukraine’s security services. “The anti-corruption infrastructure will work, only without Russian influence — it needs to be cleared of that.”

But Transparency International’s Ukraine office accused Zelenskyy and his MPs of ‘‘destroying a decade of hard-won progress in anti-corruption reforms’’.

The developments threaten to undermine the huge strides made over the past decade to tackle entrenched corruption and which helped Ukraine win EU candidate status in 2022.

Two MPs who asked not to be named, including one from the president’s own party, likened the legislation to the so-called dictatorship law pushed through parliament by a show of hands in January 2014. That gave the then pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych extraordinary powers to crack down on Euromaidan protesters, sparking weeks of bloodshed.

Nabu said in a statement on Wednesday after the meeting with Zelenskyy that its director had emphasised to the president that the legislative changes adopted on Tuesday “significantly restricted the independence” of the agencies.

Signalling a possible concession, on Wednesday evening Zelenskyy said he had heard concerns about his move to strip Nabu and Sapo of their independence, and would soon submit a new bill to parliament in response.

This new draft law “will empower the law enforcement system” while achieving his stated goal of rooting out “Russian influence or interference in the activities of law enforcement agencies”, he said. “All the necessary provisions for the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be ensured.”

Much more at the link.

Georgia:

Day 238 of #GeorgiaProtests

We will win this. They know it, we know it. The only question is: at what cost.

Targeted sanctions are already unsettling the regime and their pillars, and can help us avoid whatever costs can be avoided.

📷 Dato Simonia

[image or embed]

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 4:21 PM

For the 238th consecutive day, Rustaveli Avenue is blocked in Tbilisi, Georgia. Protests continue in 8+ cities. 🇬🇪✊

[image or embed]

— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 2:08 PM

Illegitimate PM Kobakhidze claims that the Schengen visa-free drained the population and stalled local economic growth anyway.

Just a few years ago, his master Bidzina Ivanishvili stated young people should leave Georgia because Georgia cannot provide them with jobs. For real.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 6:05 AM

The US:

Spiegel reports Ukraine may not receive the Patriot systems promised by Trump until spring 2026. The U.S. administration believes European allies should first provide systems from their stockpiles and receive replacements later.

www.spiegel.de/politik/deut…

[image or embed]

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 12:28 PM

Spiegel reports Ukraine will have to wait a year for the promised Patriot air defense. A year.

While russia keeps bombing us, murdering civilians. Politicians make promises, get praised, and yet russia still gets to bomb us freely. I fucking hate how this system works.

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 11:24 AM

Back to Ukraine.

The third direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey have concluded, lasting less than an hour.

According to Russian media, Russia and Ukraine agreed on exchanges of civilian and military personnel during the talks.

[image or embed]

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 2:38 PM

By an amazing coincidence, the Verkhovna Rada went on vacation for several weeks on the very next day after the law was passed.

— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 3:21 PM

Apparently the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada is Mike Johnson. Who knew? 🤷🏻‍♂️

There was another exchange of POWs between Ukraine and Russia today.

🇺🇦250 Ukrainians returned home from Russian captivity

[image or embed]

— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 3:55 PM

Our people are home‼️
New prisoners of war exchange just happened between Ukraine and russia.
Welcome home,our darlings, our heroes!❤️‍🩹

[image or embed]

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 3:34 PM

“My love… can you believe it? I’m home. Three and a half years…”

First phone calls after prisoners of war exchange 😭❤️‍🩹

[image or embed]

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 4:32 PM

They are home ❤️‍🩹

[image or embed]

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 4:34 PM

I am incredibly proud of the people of Ukraine. Honestly, it’s so unfair that so many challenges keep falling on us — but the resilience and stamina of my Ukrainians is truly striking.

— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 2:15 PM

You can sense twitter poasters from a mile away

[image or embed]

— Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 (@reshetz.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 4:20 PM

There’s too many labubu posters, I’m uncomfortable, this may be known as the labubu revolution

— Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 (@reshetz.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 4:23 PM

Have you ever seen a drone drop a grenade? On a Russian pontoon crossing.

[image or embed]

— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 3:56 AM

Kharkiv:

Russian drones approaching Kharkiv right now ‼️ air raid alert

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 5:45 PM

Air defense working in Kharkiv ‼️

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 5:56 PM

Protests against Law 12414 took place in Kharkiv today. It was peaceful. Cars passing by were beeping in support. I’m incredibly proud of my fellow citizens for showing up despite being so close to the frontline,

[image or embed]

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 11:53 AM

knowing full well they could be bombed without warning. These people understand the risks, and still choose to make themselves heard. peacefully but firmly.

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 11:53 AM

And Kharkiv special: “Putin Khuilo” 😁

[image or embed]

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 12:07 PM

The Kreminna front:

Fiber optic FPV drone strikes on Russian logistics. Work of the Signum unit. Kremina front.

[image or embed]

— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM

The Kursk cross border offensive:

Aviation continues operating across all directions. A MiG-29, using GBU-39 bombs, is destroying enemy firing positions, dugouts, personnel, and their ammunition in Tyotkino.

[image or embed]

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 2:31 PM

Russian occupied Crimea:

Local media in Crimea report that the city is currently under heavy missile and drone attack right in the middle of the negotiations in Istanbul, with explosions occurring one after another. There are also reports of internet disruptions in Sevastopol.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 12:50 PM

Russian occupied Mariupol:

There’s no water in Mariupol. At least not for the people.
But there’s plenty for car washes and fountains — the priorities of the occupying authorities.
And they call it a “water crisis”? Just malicious tongues spreading lies.

[image or embed]

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 6:15 AM

The southern front:

Russia has sent a new regiment formed in Chechnya to southern Ukraine, said Southern Defense Forces spokesman Vladyslav Voloshyn. The unit, created in Khankala, now includes four battalions, with the latest arriving two weeks ago.

[image or embed]

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 5:59 AM

Adler, Krasnodar Krai, Russia:

Russia. Adler. Oil depot going 💥🔥

[image or embed]

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 6:42 PM

Low pass of the Ukrainian kamikaze drone “Liutyi” over Adler, Russia.

[image or embed]

— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 6:59 PM

Rostov Oblast, Russia:

A key railway hub in Novocherkassk, Rostov region, linking Rostov-on-Don, Voronezh, Volgograd, and Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, has been attacked. The occupiers use it to move equipment, ammo, and fuel for Putin’s army to the Ukrainian border.

[image or embed]

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 23, 2025 at 4:50 AM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material.

😼🇺🇦 This is Sergeant Cat.
I have returned from night patrol of the perimeter. Traces of mouse activity have been detected near the food warehouse. We plan to call in reinforcements to strengthen security.
There have been no casualties among the personnel.
End of report.

[image or embed]

— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) July 20, 2025 at 5:03 PM

I love it when members of society have an active civil position

[image or embed]

— Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 (@reshetz.bsky.social) July 22, 2025 at 2:23 PM

Open thread!