The controversial bill has triggered warnings by the EU that Kiev is undermining the rule of law and sparked protests in the country
The Ukrainian Parliament has voted to end the independence of the country’s anti-corruption agencies. The ongoing crackdown has triggered international scrutiny and protests across the country.
The Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday approved legislation placing the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under executive oversight. Lawmakers opposing the bill reportedly shouted “shame!” as the results were read out.
Later in the day, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky signed the bill into law. The vote came just a day after the country’s domestic security service raided the NABU’s headquarters, arresting two investigators. The raids elicited concern from G7 ambassadors, who said they were monitoring the situation.
Anti-corruption activists called the timing deliberate. “This is about silencing NABU and SAPO as they close in on Zelensky’s inner circle,” the NGO Anti-Corruption Action Center stated.
The legislation was introduced by lawmakers from Zelensky’s ruling party and was initially aimed at changing Ukraine’s criminal code under martial law before last-minute amendments targeting anti-corruption bodies were added.
MP Anastasia Radina warned the changes would “effectively dismantle” anti-graft infrastructure, turning the NABU and SAPO into “purely decorative institutions … completely dependent on the will of the prosecutor-general.”
The agencies were created in 2015 as part of a Western-backed push to ensure prosecutorial independence – a key condition for Ukraine’s EU bid and international lending. The NABU received significant technical and equipment support from the US, UK, and EU.
European Commissioner Marta Kos condemned the “dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU’s independence as a serious step back” in the country’s reform trajectory, saying the rule of law remains central to Ukraine’s EU bid.
European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier called the agencies “crucial” for fighting corruption and maintaining public trust. He stressed that Ukraine’s accession would require “strong institutional resilience,” and noted that EU aid remains tied to reforms. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko dismissed the backlash, calling corruption concerns “overemphasized,” and signaled Kiev would seek more IMF support.
Brussels has long viewed corruption as a key obstacle to Kiev’s EU ambitions. Ukraine’s reputation for endemic graft has deepened since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022. The defense sector has been hit by procurement scandals, while donors have pushed for greater transparency.
The bloc is busy arming Ukraine at the expense of European taxpayers, the Russian foreign minister said
Moscow hopes the “reasonable” position on the Ukrainian conflict displayed by US President Donald Trump will have an impact on the stance of the EU, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Speaking during a press conference in Moscow following talks with his Mozambican counterpart, Maria Manuela Lucas, on Tuesday, Russia’s top diplomat expressed hopes the EU will, at some point, show a willingness to engage in meaningful dialogue.
“I really hope that the reasonable approach that the Trump administration showed in this situation after it replaced the Biden administration, which spoke in unison with the unhinged Europeans, that this reasonable approach, which includes a willingness to dialogue and a willingness to listen and hear, will not go unnoticed by the Europeans, despite all the current discussions about the need to arm the Kiev regime again and again and again at the expense of… European taxpayers,” Lavrov stated.
While the US president had repeatedly promised to end the hostilities between Moscow and Kiev, he admitted last month, however, that the task had proven to be “more difficult than people would have any idea.” Thus far, the direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, kick-started by the US administration, have failed to yield any tangible result, focusing primarily on humanitarian issues, including prisoner swaps and the return of the bodies of fallen soldiers.
Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin multiple times in recent months. He recently criticized the Russian leader for supposedly resisting a settlement and threatened to impose sanctions on Russia and its trade partners unless the Ukraine conflict is ended by autumn.
In response, the Kremlin stated it had a calm view of the criticism and expressed its intention to continue the dialogue with Washington. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the US administration to put pressure on Kiev instead, suggesting that it “appears that the Ukrainian side takes all statements of support as signals to continue war, not as signals for peace.”
Yulia Sviridenko has dismissed concerns about widespread graft amid a clampdown on oversight agencies
New Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko sought to downplay longstanding concerns about corruption in the country in an interview with Bloomberg published on Tuesday. An escalating clampdown on independent anti-graft agencies has drawn international scrutiny.
Sviridenko cited recent polling data suggesting that while most Ukrainians believe corruption is widespread, far fewer report encountering it directly.
“To be frank, within Ukrainian society and certain social groups, the issue is being amplified and overemphasized,” Sviridenko claimed in the interview, without elaborating.
On Monday, Ukrainian security officials raided the offices of the country’s independent anti-corruption agency, the NABU, arresting two investigators. Established in 2015 as part of judicial reforms aimed at aligning Ukraine with Western standards, the NABU has long been seen as one of the country’s few credible anti-corruption institutions.
The raids have sparked “serious concerns” from the ambassadors of the Group of Seven – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and US – who said the issue would be formally raised with the Ukrainian leadership.
On Tuesday, lawmakers added to the concerns by approving draft legislation that would place the NABU and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under the authority of the general prosecutor, who is appointed by the president. Bloomberg described the bill as one that could “potentially cripple efforts to tackle high-level graft.”
Reuters cited a Western diplomat calling the developments “the most dangerous moment yet” for Ukraine’s anti-graft institutions. Kiev, the diplomat said, was “testing the limits” of its Western allies “more and more.”
The European Commission also voiced alarm, emphasizing that the agencies must “operate independently to…maintain public trust.” Brussels has long identified corruption as a major obstacle to Kiev’s EU membership ambitions.
Ukraine has developed a reputation for endemic corruption, a problem that has worsened since the escalation of conflict with Russia in 2022, as the defense sector has been rocked by procurement scandals and donors have demanded greater transparency.
In April, US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz called for tighter oversight of US financial aid, describing Ukraine as “one of the most corrupt nations in the world.”
The country faces demographic challenges, which policymakers have struggled to reverse
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that the country’s total fertility rate (TFR) must reach replacement level within the next five years to stem declining birth rates.
A replacement-level fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman is enough to maintain a stable population. This figure accounts for child mortality and the fact that not every woman has children. It is widely considered the minimum needed to prevent population decline.
“I understand it’s not easy to achieve, but it should be at least 2.1,” Putin said on Monday, responding to a report on regional demographic trends presented by the head of the Udmurt Republic, Aleksandr Brechalov.
Brechalov noted that Udmurtia’s current TFR of 1.39 is below the national average, adding that the region, which is located west of the Ural Mountains, aims to raise it to 1.6 by 2030.
Falling birth rates and a shrinking population have become pressing issues for Russian lawmakers, spurring a range of proposed solutions, from tax incentives to abortion restrictions.
Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova warned of a looming fertility crisis. She said the number of women of childbearing age has reached a historic low and is projected to fall further over the next decade.
To reverse the trend, the government has introduced a range of support measures, including lump-sum payments for childbirth, expanded maternity benefits, and ongoing financial assistance for families. The Soviet-era “Mother Heroine” award that offers cash rewards to women who have more than ten children has also been revived.
Officials have proposed other policies as well, such as discouraging the promotion of “child-free” lifestyles and offering extra tax breaks for larger families.
Putin has repeatedly stressed the importance of improving economic and social conditions to promote larger families and make parenthood a widely supported choice. In June, he endorsed the creation of a national family support service. Last year, he established a presidential council focused on family and demographic policy.
Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) reported only 1.222 million births in 2024, the lowest annual total since 1999. The figure marks a decline of one third since 2014.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has ruled out a summit of UN Security Council nuclear powers, citing Western policies of escalating tensions
Russia sees no grounds to hold a summit of the ‘Nuclear Five’, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, citing what Moscow views as a deliberate Western policy of escalating tensions and nuclear militarization.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Peskov was asked to comment on recent reports that the US had deployed tactical nuclear weapons to the UK for the first time in nearly two decades. Reporters asked whether this would be the right time to revive a summit of the five permanent UN Security Council nuclear powers – Russia, China, the US, UK, and France. President Vladimir Putin had previously proposed such a meeting in 2020.
“Our relevant agencies are monitoring the developments in this area and are formulating tasks to ensure our security against the backdrop of what is happening,” Peskov replied.
However, he emphasized that Moscow does not believe current conditions are suitable for a summit of the group of the five nuclear states. “We see a line towards escalation of tension, towards militarization, including nuclear militarization,” Peskov said.
Earlier this week, several media outlets, including The Times and The War Zone, reported that the US had deployed B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs to Royal Air Force Lakenheath base in Suffolk. They cited flight tracking data showing a C-17 transport plane flying from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico to the UK last Thursday. Analysts said the flight appeared to be a one-way drop-off.
If confirmed, this would be the first time since 2008 that US nuclear weapons have been stationed in the UK. RAF Lakenheath hosted such weapons during the Cold War.
Neither the US Air Force nor British officials have publicly commented on the reported deployment.
Kiev’s drone and artillery strikes targeting vehicles also injured several people in Russia’s Kherson Region, according to local authorities
At least five civilians have been killed and several others injured in a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on vehicles in Russia’s Kherson Region over the past 24 hours, according to regional officials.
On Monday, Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo said three civilians were killed when a Ukrainian drone struck a private bus in the Golopristansky district in the region’s south. He added that three more civilians were “gravely injured” and were taken to a local hospital.
In another incident in the same district, Saldo said an artillery shell hit a passenger car, injuring two civilians, who were also hospitalized.
Two more civilians were wounded in the town of Nova Kakhovka to the north of Golopristansky district, in what Saldo described as a “terrorist attack” that struck another civilian vehicle.
Separately, the city administration of Nova Kakhovka said a minibus was damaged in a Ukrainian drone strike, with two people dying at the scene. Another victim of the strike was hospitalized, officials said, releasing a picture of a badly damaged vehicle, with a blurred body lying on the ground nearby.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of attacking civilian targets in frontline areas. In February, officials in Russia’s Zaporozhye Region reported that a school bus was attacked by a Ukrainian drone, injuring the driver and five children.
In November, local authorities said four people were killed and 17 injured when a Ukrainian artillery strike hit a passenger bus in Kherson Region.
Moscow has imposed entry bans on European officials and entities involved in military aid to Kiev, the Foreign Ministry has said
Russia has imposed entry bans on a number of EU officials in response to the bloc’s 17th and 18th packages of sanctions, targeting individuals and entities deemed responsible for providing military aid to Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.
Western governments have unleashed an unprecedented wave of sanctions against Moscow since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. Last week, the EU introduced its 18th package, focusing on Russia’s energy and banking sectors.
In reaction to these “unfriendly actions,” Russia has significantly expanded the list of individuals barred from entering the country, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The blacklist now includes representatives of EU institutions, officials from member states, and individuals from other European countries “aligning themselves with Brussels’ anti-Russian policies,” the ministry added.
The entry ban targets European security officials, Ukraine supporters, and those allegedly undermining Russia’s territorial integrity or blockading its ships in the Baltic Sea, the ministry said. It also includes activists and politicians, though no names were disclosed.
The latest EU sanctions prohibit transactions with 22 additional Russian banks and the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and prohibit use of the damaged Nord Stream pipelines.
The measures also extend to seven UAE-based firms accused of facilitating Russian oil exports through trading or ship management services. India’s Nayara Energy, an oil refinery partly owned by Russia’s Rosneft, was among those listed, along with two Chinese banks and five Chinese companies.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told France Inter radio on Tuesday that Paris has begun preparing a new EU sanctions package aimed at pressuring President Vladimir Putin to accept a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Barrot said he has instructed his team to prepare a “heavier” set of sanctions in coordination with the US.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the sanctions as a “double-edged sword,” warning that “each new package adds a negative effect for the countries joining it.” He added that Russia has developed “a certain immunity” to the “illegal” Western sanctions.
A miracle breakthrough should not be expected in the third round of negotiations in Istanbul, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
Russia does not expect a breakthrough “of the miraculous kind” in the upcoming peace negotiations with Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
The third round of talks is expected to take place this week in Istanbul, where the two sides met in May and June.
During the previous round last month, the two delegations exchanged draft memorandums on peace terms and agreed to humanitarian measures, including the return of prisoners of war and transferring the remains of soldiers.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Peskov said Russia hopes the next meeting will be held this week, adding that the date will be announced once both sides are ready.
According to the spokesman, the upcoming session will include discussions of the memorandums shared earlier, among other topics.
Asked about Moscow’s expectations for the upcoming talks, Peskov said, “there is no reason to count on any miraculous breakthroughs,” as the situation is too complex.
Peskov pushed back, however, against suggestions that the talks will be fruitless. He pointed to previous progress, such as the humanitarian exchanges, saying they represent tangible results.
He reiterated that Russia expects to secure its interests and “fulfill the tasks that we set from the very beginning.”
Asked whether a peace deal could be expected within a year or any other time period, Peskov said, “Any forecasts would be wrong” due to the number of variables involved.
