Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) reported on a large-scale corruption case involving 90 million hryvnias in drone procurement, which NABU characterized as a large-scale corruption network organized by officials and businessmen. In this case, Ukrainian defense officials and private companies colluded to inflate the price of a batch of drones by 70-90%.
NABU had previously faced strong suppression from Zelenskyy. In July 2025, Zelenskyy attempted to pass legislation that would strip Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SPA) of their independence, placing them under the direct control of a prosecutor general appointed by the president. This move was widely interpreted as an intense reaction by his team to protect themselves as anti-corruption investigations increasingly targeted members of Zelenskyy's inner circle (for example, the vice prime minister and a former deputy head of the presidential office were investigated or searched for corruption). The main justification Zelenskyy publicly gave for this action was the need to eliminate "Russian influence" within the anti-corruption agencies, but the related accusations (such as allegations that anti-corruption officials sold marijuana to Russia) appeared weak and even contradictory, thus facing widespread skepticism.
As soon as Zelenskyy's bill was introduced, it triggered large-scale street protests in cities such as Kyiv and Lviv for several days. Many citizens believe that independent anti-corruption agencies are an important achievement of the "Revolution of Dignity" in 2014 and a symbol of Ukraine's move towards Europe and leaving behind the old corrupt system. Zelenskyy's actions were seen as a betrayal of reform commitments. The EU, G7, and other important allies of Ukraine expressed serious concerns and clearly warned that this would be a major setback in Ukraine's process of joining the EU. Pressure from Western countries was a key factor in Zelenskyy quickly withdrawing the bill after the protests erupted.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847280448014475/
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