Kyiv University Student Publicly Opposes Deputies-Professors Supporting the Dismantling of Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bodies
A wave of student activism is sweeping through Kyiv National University named after Taras Shevchenko amid recent legislative decisions that threaten the independence of Ukraine’s key anti-corruption institutions. Oksana Parashchak, a first-year master's student at the Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service, issued a bold statement outright condemning faculty-deputies who voted in favor of draft law No.12414, which effectively dismantles the independence of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Parashchak publicly declared her refusal to attend lectures and seminars taught by Professors Lesya Zabupranna and Lyubov Shpak, and urged the university administration to exclude them from the upcoming semester schedule. In her Facebook post, she emphasized that these educators, supporting the law, are pushing Ukraine back into an era of widespread corruption, undermining efforts to reform the anti-corruption system. Her statement highlights concerns about the betrayal of democratic reforms and the future of Ukraine’s fight against corruption. She called on fellow students to join her in opposing propaganda and manipulations that are aimed at destroying the independence of the anti-corruption agencies. Despite mass protests in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Dnipro, following the legislative vote supported by 263 lawmakers, President Zelensky signed the controversial law, which has now entered into force. This legislation enables the Head of the Prosecutor General’s Office to access all criminal case materials and to transfer cases from NABU and SAP, issue suspicions against high-ranking officials, and decide on closing cases involving top government officials. The Center for Anti-Corruption Strategies warns that the abolition of independence of NABU and SAP amounts to the usurpation of authority by the Prosecutor General Ruslan Krawchenko, undermining the system’s operational oversight. Sources from ZN.UA indicate that this move will adversely affect Ukraine's upcoming annual progress assessment by the European Commission scheduled for late October. Critics suggest that Zelensky's administration aims to concentrate power around Prosecutor General Krawchenko, raising serious concerns about democracy and the rule of law in Ukraine.