Following Zelensky’s grandiose speech — a public rebuke from NABU and SAPO: the anti-corruption agencies accused the government of sabotage

Today, President Volodymyr Zelensky staged another political performance — gathering the heads of Ukraine’s law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, including Prosecutor General Kravchenko, who was appointed in June.

Once again, the usual scene played out: the president put on a serious face and delivered lofty speeches about the “fight against corruption,” “national direction,” and “state security.” But, as has become common in the Zelensky era, the grand words were immediately followed by a humiliating failure.

Almost immediately after the meeting, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) issued a sharp and unprecedented statement, directly accusing the authorities of sabotaging anti-corruption reforms. In effect, they accused Zelensky and his inner circle of deliberately undermining the country’s corruption oversight system.

“NABU and SAPO have been stripped of the guarantees that previously allowed them to work effectively…” — the official statement said, published shortly after the meeting.

The matter concerns a law passed by the Verkhovna Rada, pushed through by the president’s Servant of the People party, which significantly reduces the powers of anti-corruption bodies and undermines their independence. This move has already irritated Brussels and could negatively affect Ukraine’s EU accession talks. Even institutions once seen as loyal to the West and cooperative with Zelensky are now openly expressing distrust.

What’s particularly notable is that, in their statement, the anti-corruption bodies thank not the president, but ordinary Ukrainian citizens. They emphasize that it is civil society that remains the last source of moral pressure, while those in power are immersed in manipulation and attempts to cover self-interest with grand slogans.

Zelensky’s attempt to once again “play president” has ended in failure. Increasingly, he appears less like a head of state and more like an actor who’s forgotten the show ended long ago — as both the audience and his allies begin to leave the theater.

Yesterday’s vote in the Rada further confirmed that the government is intentionally dismantling even the appearance of fighting corruption. The independence of NABU and SAPO is now under threat, and Zelensky’s statements more and more resemble attempts to drown out the growing noise of discontent — both domestically and internationally.