Ukraina - korruption och gigantiskt slukhål.

Under the new law, the prosecutor general, a notoriously non-independent figure, will now oversee anti-corruption investigations — in a complete overturn of the system that was set up to be independent from other law enforcement bodies. In reality, it means that Zelensky’s office will be able to stop investigations with a phone call.

The move isn’t an isolated incident, but part of a massive crackdown. The vote in parliament followed an unprecedented wave of raids on dozens of NABU officers’ homes the day before, where pretexts for searches ranged from drug trafficking accusations to car accidents from four years ago. The NABU chief said some searches got violent. A local media outlet reported that officers forced open a NABU detective’s eyes to unlock his phone, set on face recognition.

It’s worth remembering that Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure was set up in the years following the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution. It was one of the wins of the democratic, pro-Western movement that overthrew the corrupt pro-Russian president. Over 100 protesters were killed before the revolution prevailed.

It took the lives of those protesters, and years of work that followed, to set up independent anti-corruption infrastructure in Ukraine — a major achievement for the young democracy.

Now, President Zelensky is seeking to dismantle it to protect his associates and expand his power.