The Ukrainian government has cracked down on corruption with a wave of arrests of lawmakers, as it attempts to undo the damage caused after rushing through a law that gutted Ukraine anti-corruption reforms.

At least four officials have been sacrificed as Bankova (Ukraine’s equivalent of the Kremlin) attempts to recover from what turned into a PR blunder. Law makers came back from their summer break to vote through Law 21414 on July 22 that handed full control over Ukraine’s law enforcement to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, a presidential appointee.

The law immediately sparked the first anti-government protests since the Russian invasion as well as a sharp rebuke from the EU, which threatened to cut off Kyiv's financial aid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was forced into a humiliating climbdown a week later by rushing through a second bill, Law 31533, on July 31 that reversed the change and ensures the independence of the two anti-corruption agencies, National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).

“A Ukrainian MP, along with heads of district and city administrations and several National Guard servicemembers, were exposed for bribery,” Zelenskiy said in a social media post. “I am grateful to the anti-corruption agencies for their work. There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork in uncovering it, and ultimately, a fair sentence. It is important that anti-corruption institutions operate independently, and the law passed on Thursday guarantees them all the tools necessary for a real fight against corruption.”

However, the damage has been done and the fiasco has put the issue of corruption in Ukraine front and centre again in Kyiv’s western supporter minds. With funding in question, Bankova has followed up with a crackdown on corrupt law makers, making arrests and opening  investigations in the last few days. So far, four people have been detained under Article 208 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine, reports Ukrainska Pravda. 

NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and Head of the SAPO Oleksandr Klymenko deliever a report to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. photo: Ukraine's presidential office. 

In the firing line

Several prominent MPs from Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People party have been caught in the dragnet. NABU and SAPO have named three senior officials as suspects in a large-scale corruption case.

Notably the three men from Zelenskiy’s inner circle that were named in investigations as under threat of being investigated for corruption that some analysts believe was the cause of Law 21414 have not been arrested or investigated.

Those identified include Oleksii Kuznietsov, a Servant of the People MP; Serhii Haidai, Head of Mukachevo District State Administration in Zakarpattia Oblast and former Head of Luhansk Oblast Military Administration; and Andrii Yurchenko, Head of Rubizhne City Military Administration in Luhansk Oblast. Sources told Ukrainska Pravda that Kuznietsov, Haidai and the other individuals concerned have been detained.

Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People faction, said in a statement on Telegram: "MP Oleksii Kuznietsov's membership of the faction will be suspended while the investigation is ongoing. We await the court hearing of the case in due course. Those guilty of corruption offences must face just punishment, regardless of their status or position." Arakhamiia added that, "the faction fully supports the effective actions of NABU and SAPO in combating corruption".

According to NABU and SAPO, the officials allegedly participated in schemes that caused significant financial losses to the state. Investigators claim the corruption involved the misappropriation of public funds during procurement processes, though the agencies have not disclosed the total value of the losses.

Ukrainska Pravda reports that in the second half of 2024, NABU compiled information from various open and covert sources, including media outlets, that indicated that some public officials were engaged in the systemic embezzlement of state funds and large-scale bribery during state defence procurement processes.

“This case demonstrates that no position provides immunity from the law,” the agency said in a statement. SAPO confirmed that the suspects have been served with notices of suspicion. Under Ukrainian law, this is the first step in bringing formal charges before a court. If convicted, the officials could face prison sentences and the confiscation of assets.

Haidai served as Head of Luhansk Oblast Military Administration from October 2019 until March 2023, a period marked by Russia’s full-scale invasion. Kuznietsov has been a member of parliament since 2019, while Yurchenko has led Rubizhne’s military administration since 2022.

In one example, NABU determined that on August 2, 2025, Kuznietsov, in collusion with Yurchenko and Haidai, had skimmed UAH1.5mn ($35,900) off the top of a government contract to supply military unit 3082 of Yastruby Peremohy 6D electronic warfare systems worth UAH5mn ($119,660).

NABU and SAPO announced that they have exposed several MPs, heads of local government and service members from the National Guard as involved in bribery in the procurement of drones and electronic warfare equipment. NABU said further procedural steps would be taken “in the near future” and that more individuals could be implicated as the investigation progresses.

Zelenskiy said he expects “fair punishment” for "absolutely immoral" schemes exposed by anti-corruption agencies. Zelenskiy also stressed that he expects "meaningful results" from the internal investigation being conducted by the National Guard into this situation.