OPINION: Ukraine Shoots Itself in the Foot — Again

President Volodymyr Zelensky has now signed into law the controversial bill stripping Ukraine’s top anti-corruption bodies of their independence — a move widely condemned as self-sabotage. The legislation, which places the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under effective presidential control, has triggered alarm in Brussels and beyond.

It’s the clearest sign yet of a government increasingly bent on consolidating power — even if it means undermining transparency, reform, and public trust. In a single stroke, Ukraine risks jeopardizing billions in military and economic aid, and imperiling its hard-won path to European Union membership.

And now, the people have spoken. Yesterday, thousands — mostly young Ukrainians — took to the streets in cities across the country. It was the largest public outcry since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.

If anything, the protests underscored the gravity of what just occurred: the unilateral tearing up by Bankova, the presidential office, of an unwritten social contract. That deal was simple — post-Maidan activists and civil society would refrain from open opposition, so long as President Zelensky defended Ukraine and kept it on a clear path toward the EU.

This moment will also be seen in Moscow as a welcome PR gift — reinforcing the Kremlin’s narrative that Ukraine is irreparably corrupt and unworthy of Western support. And it will play directly into the hands of the Trump-aligned MAGA base in Washington — figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who are already lobbying to cut aid to Kyiv. Why fund democracy, they will argue, if Ukraine appears to be abandoning it?

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Ukraine, Estonia Sign Defense Pact Focused on Drones, Air Defense

During his visit to Estonia, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine and Estonia have signed a Joint Declaration on strengthening security and defense cooperation. The document covers the exchange of military experience, defense industry cooperation, and air defense, with a separate agreement under the Drone Deal format still in the works. Zelensky framed the declaration as part of broader joint action with European partners, alongside sanctions pressure and Ukraine’s EU membership path.

For those who continue to dismiss Ukraine’s corruption problem as “overblown,” I’d urge them to speak with the countless entrepreneurs suffocated by bribes and bureaucracy — or the millions of Ukrainians abroad who say they won’t return unless peace is matched by real reform.

Zelensky was elected on a promise of change, not centralization. The West is watching. Ukrainians are watching. And they will not accept a return to the old ways. As thousands chanted last night outside the presidential complex: Ганьба!  — Shame!

Adapted as an op-ed for Kyiv Post by the author from his blog World Briefing, which can be seen here.