The accusation that Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption agencies don’t fight corruption but instead control the country was made on Aug. 3, 2025, in the program “Main Broadcast” on the First Information channel.
“Ten years ago, the West set up so-called independent anti-corruption agencies in Ukraine to keep tabs on its own money. They didn’t fight corruption — they just secured the West’s presence. On July 22, there was talk of shutting them down, and by the 31st, on paper at least, everything was back the way it was. So much for independence,” the voiceover said in the segment.
In 2015, Ukraine established independent anti-corruption bodies: NABU, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and SAPO, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. Their creation was one of the EU and IMF’s conditions for providing financial aid, advancing European integration and easing visa requirements. The main task of these agencies is to fight corruption, especially cases involving top officials.
NABU and SAPO are staffed through open competitions, and their leaders are appointed by Ukrainian authorities — not by anyone in the West. The director of NABU is named by Ukraine’s government, while the head of SAPO is appointed by the prosecutor general.
In 10 years of work, 251 convictions in NABU and SAPO cases have taken legal effect. They involved 338 corrupt officials, including lawmakers, judges, heads of state enterprises and other high-ranking figures. In the past four years alone, the anti-corruption agencies reported preventing losses or returning about 17 billion hryvnias to the state — more than $400 million.
On July 22, 2025, Ukraine’s parliament passed a law transferring oversight of the agencies to the Prosecutor General’s Office, curbing their independence. The move sparked mass protests across the country and drew sharp criticism from the European Union. About a week later, parliament repealed the controversial law, restoring NABU and SAPO to their previous status.
According to the Global Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International, which annually ranks 180 countries based on assessments by experts and business leaders, Belarus is more corrupt than Ukraine. Ukraine ranks 10 places higher in the index.
