Ukraine: Does the mood tip over? These are the reasons for the protests

They have been the biggest protests in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022. Since the beginning of the week, there have been thousands in particular on the streets in big cities and especially in the capital Kiev. They demonstrate against a new law that President Wolodymyr Selenskyj depressed and signed by parliament at a hurry. So it was valid after the publication. Critics accuse him of, Selenskyj tear more and more power.

Simply expressed: Selenskyj rolls the fight against corruption on the left with the amendment to the law. After the Maidan Revolution 2014 and the fall of the President Janukovych close to Russia, the western partners urged to combat corruption in Ukraine and thus unpoken a conditions for possible negotiations on EU accession.

For this purpose, two autonomous authorities were founded: the anti-corruption office NABU and the special prosecutor for fighting corruption SAP. The idea of this: independence should ensure that the authorities are not used by governments.

But now Wolodymyr Selenskyj has with his new law that both autonomous authorities are subordinate to the Attorney General – and thus to him or his government.

This means that the law allows the Attorney General to issue instructions, request documents, to deprive cases and to hand over to other places if he considers the investigation of the anti -corruption authority ineffective. He can also have procedures against high -ranking civil servants, including the president and the members of the government. Spicy aftertaste: Selenskyj has only recently appointed the general prosecutor.

The Ukrainian President practically justifies the new law with a guess: There are indications that Russia tries to influence the authorities. Allegedly about spies and agents. When this very thin argument became public and both the authorities themselves and external protested against it, Selenskyj said that the institutions also worked too ineffective. That will fix the new law.

The criticism is complex and is aimed not only at the law itself, but also the procedure of Selenskyj, driven it through the parliament at a rapid pace and immediately signed it without seriously dealing with contradiction.

Critics in Ukraine accuse Selenskyj of wanting to use the law for his own maintenance. In the demonstrations, signs could be seen, for example with inscriptions such as “Do we have again in 2014?” And compare between Selenskyj and Janukowytsch.

The Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko took part in a demonstration against the law. On Telegram he said that he supported the protesters “fully”. Independent facilities should remain independent, Klitschko continues. The former boxing world champion has been lying in the clinch with Selenskyj for a long time. He accuses the President of performing more and more authoritarian.

But the pressure on Selenskyj is also growing internationally. EU extension commissioner Marta Kos warned Kiev and explained to X that the new law was a “serious step back” on the way to an EU accession. The rule of law and independent authorities in the fight against corruption remained “the focus of the EU accession negotiations”.

Federal Foreign Minister Johann WadePhul supported the criticism from Brussels. He explained: “The new law puts a strain on the path of Ukraine to the EU”. He expects the “consistent continuation of the fight against corruption” from Ukraine. The EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was similar.

First of all, it should be noted: the law is signed by Selenskyj and is therefore legally valid. When the criticism and the protests boiled up, he tried to smooth the waves and said that he had had discussions with the heads of the authorities. The elaboration of a “action plan” was decided to solve existing problems.

He also announced that he wanted to present a further draft law to the parliament that should ensure the rule of law and independence of the anti -corruption authorities. It is questionable whether this calms the demonstrators. The demonstrations are still too small to become Selenskyj dangerous. According to “”, however, the street protests are expected to get even bigger in the coming days.

With material from the dpa, AFP and Reuters news agencies