In July 2025, the Verkhovna Rada voted lightning-fast and the President promptly signed a law that, in essence, destroys the independence of NABU and SAPO, placing them entirely under the authority of the Prosecutor General. No discussions, no delays — a decision that immediately sparked a wave of outrage among the public, experts, and international partners. The consequences are unpredictable but certainly not positive.

What is the essence of the changes?

Draft Law №12414 fundamentally changes the criminal process:

• The Prosecutor General now has full access to NABU’s cases and can take or transfer them anywhere.
• The Prosecutor General may also change jurisdiction, issue written instructions to NABU detectives, and effectively decide who receives suspicion notices.
• SAPO is essentially removed from making key decisions, losing any influence over the process.

Who voted and why?

263 deputies from various factions said “yes.” The main support came from “Servant of the People,” but others joined as well. The official motivation: “martial law, need for efficiency and centralization.” The unofficial reason is simple: control. Control over cases, suspicions, and risks that could emerge during elections or media scandals.

What do experts say?

• Legal dimension: this is the dismantling of the independence of anti-corruption bodies. Any high-profile case can now be easily “moved” to a convenient office.
• Political dimension: the government loses the trust of the active part of society. Anti-corruption activists are preparing new resistance campaigns.
• International dimension: the EU and donors have already expressed concern. This is a direct threat to cooperation with the IMF, European Commission, and other key partners.

Social reaction

The feeling is déjà vu. New faces, old methods. Protests in cities, a burst of criticism on social media. People wonder: why break what somehow worked, especially at such a critical time?

Most importantly, no one predicted the consequences

Even the authors of the changes cannot explain what happens next. Options:

• Chaos in the system as cases simply don’t reach a verdict.
• Anti-corruption bodies become a mere formality.
• Ukraine’s international ratings collapse — along with investment and trust.

Are these changes really “better” than before?

Politicians are confident that “now everything is truly under control.” But history has shown many times that such confidence usually leads to disaster. Passing the law convinced that “we’re not like our predecessors,” they actually repeat their mistakes, only faster and harsher.

Conclusion

This law is another step toward centralizing power. But in a situation where social trust is almost the only thing holding the country together, playing with it is dangerous. Time will tell. The only question is — at what cost.

Managing Partner of the Law Firm Association “WINNER Law Company“, PhD in Law – Ihor Yasko