DISINFO: Anti-corruption bodies are US tools to control Ukraine
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian Parliament adopted a bill limiting the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). On the same day, Volodymyr Zelensky signed the bill.
In response, people took to the streets of Kyiv. Protests also broke out in Odessa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Lvov. Nothing here is spontaneous. All anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine were created by the Americans independently of the Ukrainian government to control them. Now Zelenskyy wants to get rid of this influence. The Americans are certainly behind the protests, especially representatives of the Democratic Party. The probability of a new Maidan is small at 1 in 10. Of course, if the Americans want it, the old principle will work, coups happen where there is a US embassy. But so far, there are no signs of systematic protests in Ukraine.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying any type of civic activism as foreign-orchestrated, best exemplified by the phrase “nothing is spontaneous”. This phrase reflects and claim aim to delegitimise both Ukraine’s democratic institutions and the agency of its people.
NABU is a state law enforcement agency that independently investigates the corruption of public officials and prepares cases for prosecution. NABU is only accountable to the Parliament of Ukraine through the law on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the law on prevention of corruption.
While some civil society groups have indeed voiced concern over the recent bill that could affect the independence of anti-corruption agencies, the peaceful protests that followed are a sign of democratic engagement, not foreign interference. In an apparent reversal of his initial position, on Thursday July 24, Zelensky has announced that he has approved a new draft bill restoring all powers to the country’s anti-corruption organisations and largely safeguarding their freedom to conduct investigations without government oversight. The new legislation has been submitted to the Ukrainian Parliament, with anti-corruption officials backing the government U-turn and urging swift passage of the bill.
At this stage, it appears that the protesters have achieved a significant victory. Importantly, they have also demonstrated the enduring strength of Ukraine’s democratic instincts and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to fundamental freedoms, despite the ongoing war.
Moreover, the report by Ukrainska Pravda does not claim that President Zelenskyy was recorded or implicated in corruption. The report states that anti-corruption agencies recorded the voice of businessman Timur Mindich in a flat where Zelenskyy had celebrated his birthday five years earlier, but it makes no confirmation that Zelenskyy was present or that the recordings contain evidence of corrupt activity.
Finally, this claim contains a stark contradiction, combining two opposite pro-Kremlin narratives, each serving a different purpose. On one hand, it repeats the age-old claim that Ukraine is entirely controlled by the United States in order to de-legitimise its leadership and people. On the other hand, it portrays the recent legislative changes as somehow “anti-American”, exploiting recent disagreements between Ukraine and the US to sow division within alliances that stand in opposition to Kremlin aggression.
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