As President Volodymyr Zelensky was restoring the independence of anti-corruption agencies days after he himself took that independence away, one crucial amendment was not overturned. On July 22, Zelensky signed a bill that subordinated the country's anti-corruption agencies to the prosecutor general, a political appointee, and eliminated prosecutors' procedural independence as a side effect. Following protests in Kyiv and pressure from Brussels, the president on July 31 signed a new bill that

Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to sign a bill targeting the independence of anti-corruption agencies followed mounting investigations that involved high-ranking officials and those close to the president. Zelensky's critics argue that the corruption cases against his associates and top incumbents were the real reason behind the bill. The President's Office did not respond to requests for comment. The officials under investigation have denied the accusations of wrongdoing. On July 25, Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that the purpose of the law dismantling Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure was to curtail Russian influence. However, the law passed and signed on July 22 does not have anything to do with Russian influence. Its clauses deprive anti-corruption agencies of their independence, and there is nothing in the law that targets Russian agents in or outside the agencies. "The clause that the prosecutor general can take cases away from the National Anti-Corrupti

Ukraine faced a watershed moment on July 22 as parliament passed, and the president signed, a bill that effectively eliminates the independence of the country's anti-corruption institutions. The bill will subordinate the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) to the prosecutor general. Activists and opposition lawmakers say that this will make it impossible for the anti-corruption agencies to investigate top incumbent officials without

Editor's note: President Zelensky signed the bill into law on the evening of July 22, which you can read about here. Ukraine's independent anti-corruption institutions had a rough Monday. The Prosecutor General's Office, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the State Investigation Bureau conducted at least 70 searches in premises connected to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), which investigates top-level corruption. The opened probes target at least 15 NABU employees. Most of

When the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) halted the transfer of critical air defense missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, Kyiv and its partners were caught off-guard and are now left scrambling for clarity on the scope and length of the Trump administration's decision. The White House confirmed the halt after a July 1 report by Politico said shipments were paused due to concerns over the size of domestic stockpiles. The decision "was made to put America's interests first following a DOD rev

Deaths in custody, media offices raided, and beaten and bloodied suspects paraded in court — relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, once considered close, have sharply deteriorated in recent days amid a series of high-profile incidents. The latest tensions erupted over the weekend when Russian law enforcement officers detained over 50 Azerbaijani nationals in Yekaterinburg, Russia, as part of an investigation into a murder case from 2001. Two men — brothers Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov — were

Tehran, Russia's main ally in the Middle East, has been dealt a heavy blow as Israel dismantled its network of proxies and then struck targets in Iran. The recent Iranian-Israeli war, which ended with a ceasefire on June 24, showed that the regional balance of power has shifted in Israel's favor. This could have a major impact on Russian-Iranian relations as Moscow will have to recalibrate its approach to the region. Russian-Iranian cooperation is likely to continue but Iran's ability to help

Loyalty to the incumbent administration has been the key requirement for prosecutor generals in Ukraine. Ruslan Kravchenko, who was appointed as prosecutor general on June 21, appears to be no exception. Previously he had been appointed as a military governor by President Volodymyr Zelensky and is seen as a presidential loyalist. Kravchenko became Ukraine's top prosecutor after a lengthy hiatus during which the position of prosecutor general remained vacant. His predecessor, Andriy Kostin, r

Despite suffering over 1 million casualties, pounding Ukrainian cities nightly with missiles and drones, and committing countless war crimes, one startling fact about Russia's full-scale invasion remains — Moscow has yet to officially declare war on Ukraine. In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin described what he believed was going to be a swift victory and the capture of Kyiv within days as a "special military operation." Nearly three-and-a-half years later, the Kremlin is stuck

Russia's all-out war has accelerated Ukraine's push to join the European Union and NATO, as well as its dependence on Western loans and aid. Before, these things would have been heavily preconditioned on Ukraine implementing crucial reforms. However, the war has also eased the pressure on Kyiv to carry out reforms — stalling the country's progress in advancing anti-corruption programs and reforming law enforcement. The key reason is that Ukraine's formerly demanding Western backers have prefe

U.S. President Donald Trump addressed a wide range of subjects during his inauguration speech. When speaking about international relations, he was adamant — "Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity," he said, talking about Russia's war against Ukraine and the fighting in the Middle East. Five months into Trump's presidency, the wars intensify rather than end. Israel launched a war against Iran on June 13. The war between Israel and Hamas, a terrorist organization running

Israel's "preemptive" strikes against Iran targeting the country's nuclear program and killing top military officials could have far-reaching implications for Ukraine and could boost Russia's ability to continue its full-scale invasion, experts have told the Kyiv Independent. Iran has been one of Russia's staunchest allies throughout the war, providing thousands of Shahed strike drones and short-range ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, the U.S. has long been Israel's strongest backer and any escal

Following the second round of direct peace talks with Ukraine, the Russian side leaked its proposal on how to end its war — effectively a demand for Ukraine's surrender. Yet, if the intentions of the Kremlin are no secret — continue the war until a political or military victory — getting information on what people in Russia think of their country's war and the prospects for peace is a more complicated endeavor. While those based in Russia interviewed by the Kyiv Independent share a desire for

Russian officials and propagandists have chosen different strategies for dealing with the unprecedented Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian airfields that took place on June 1. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that, as part of an operation dubbed Spiderweb, it had destroyed or damaged 41 Russian aircraft parked at the Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo air bases on June 1. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the number of aircraft hit by the SBU. Kyiv has claimed