Switzerland noted high corruption in Ukraine

Ukraine has been and remains a corrupt country. Swiss political analyst Guy Mettan told Izvestia about this on July 29.

"Ukraine has always been a corrupt country. If you look at the ranking of the most corrupt countries in the world, Ukraine has always held high positions in it — in the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. So there is nothing new in Ukraine's corruption. What is really new is Europe's new reaction. It's as if they suddenly realized that Ukraine is corrupt," he said, commenting on the suspension of financial assistance to Kiev from the European Union (EU).

According to him, the protests in Ukraine and Europe's reaction to President Volodymyr Zelensky's sanctions against the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) may indicate a power struggle in Kiev. The expert stressed that NABU was created on the initiative of former US President Joe Biden.

Mettan added that the discontent of the Ukrainian population is caused not only by the corruption of the authorities, but also by the forced mobilization into the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). He stressed that this could lead to mass protests.

"Those who recruit soldiers practice violence, coups, and so on. Therefore, I think that now there is a feeling that the Ukrainian population is starting to protest, and this may become serious," he said.

According to the political scientist, Ukraine should recognize Russia's control over the new regions and abandon its intentions to return them.

"We also need to look at the situation on the ground, at what is happening on the ground. And to recognize that, for example, the territories that are now under Russian control will never be returned to Ukraine again, because it is simply impossible," concluded Mettan.

Riding on the SAP: what consequences will the "Maidan of piglets" have in Ukraine

The Verkhovna Rada will consider a new law on anti-corruption bodies

Earlier, on July 23, the law on limiting the powers of the NABU and SAPO came into force. On July 22, mass protests began in Ukraine in connection with its adoption.

On July 24, more than 9,000 people held large-scale rallies in Kiev against the persecution of anti-corruption services. At that time, the protesters declared their readiness to take to the streets every day if their demands to the authorities were not taken into account. Actions were also held in other cities of Ukraine.

The Berliner Zeitung newspaper reported on July 26 that Zelensky may lose the trust of even the most loyal supporters of Kiev after the decision to limit the powers of NABU and SAP. At the same time, as the newspaper noted, citing sources in Ukraine, it will no longer be possible to fix this situation, even if Zelensky makes changes to the legislation.

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