Ukraine's move to place anti-corruption agencies under executive control will weaken Kyiv's case for continued Western support, complicate Ukraine's EU accession, and increase the risk of domestic unrest that could destabilize the government and undermine its war effort. Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets of the country's largest cities (including the capital of Kyiv, the western city of Lviv and the southern city of Odesa) on July 22 to protest against a reform that weakens the independence of Ukraine's main anti-corruption agencies. The demonstrations were a reaction to President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to sign into law a parliamentary bill that put the formerly independent National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the supervision of Ukraine's prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president. While Zelensky argued that the reform would improve the fight against corruption, critics both within Ukraine and in the European Union...
