Zelensky shattered his heroic image with the law against NABU, says Bloomberg

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky severely damaged his reputation by signing a law against anti-corruption agencies, including the national anti-corruption bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

This was stated by columnist Mark Champion in an article for Bloomberg.

“Zelensky’s heroic image has shattered,” the article says. According to Champion, the Ukrainian leader’s mistake should serve as a reminder that prior to February 2022, he was not a popular president.

As the western observer noted, after the start of Russia’s special military operation, Zelensky and his team managed to create an appealing presidential image.

“This romantic image (…) was bound to fade. But it is corruption, flourishing under the cover of martial law, that has now been exposed and can no longer be ignored,” the author added.

On Sunday, July 27, Zelensky told European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen that a law restoring NABU’s powers should be passed next week.

It became known on July 24 that the Ukrainian president decided to return powers to anti-corruption agencies — two days after he signed a document stripping these bodies of their independence. The passage of the law sparked protests in major Ukrainian cities.