The legislation's approval endangered up to €60 billion in EU-linked financial support and raised concerns within the IMF. Protesters mobilized across Ukrainian cities, declaring that the war should not be used as a shield to weaken democratic checks. Facing mounting pressure both domestically and internationally, Zelenskyy rescinded the measure and restored the agencies’ independence, averting a deeper crisis in Kyiv’s relations with Brussels.

The episode underscored public anxiety over corruption’s impact on national security, with many Ukrainians blaming graft for the slow pace of fortification construction and recent battlefield setbacks. The attempt to place key watchdogs under central control was widely viewed as an effort to shield political allies, but it ultimately backfired, becoming a political liability during wartime.

Bulgarian Protests Highlight Shared Regional Risks

While Kyiv was reeling from protests, Bulgaria saw parallel demonstrations against its own anti-corruption commission. Citizens in Sofia accused the supposedly independent body of being weaponized for political purposes, especially following the arrest of the mayor of Varna. The incident revealed growing distrust in institutions designed to ensure accountability, particularly when those same institutions are controlled by the political actors they are meant to oversee.

The dual protests in Ukraine and Bulgaria reflect a broader regional concern: that anti-corruption agencies, when politicized, risk becoming tools of selective justice. As one analyst noted, if governments can define who is “corrupt” for political gain, then democracy itself is threatened. Public mobilization remains the final safeguard against such institutional misuse.