As Russian missiles pound Ukraine’s frontlines, another quieter crisis is shaking the country from within — a crisis of corruption, courts, and political trust. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the nation’s premier graft-fighting body, has accused courts of stalling and obstructing justice in cases involving President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s allies.
“The courts are holding Ukraine hostage,” one NABU official said, warning that justice delayed is rapidly turning into justice denied.
A War Within a War
While Ukraine continues its existential struggle against Russian aggression, the country’s internal battle against corruption — once a proud symbol of its post-Maidan transformation — is collapsing under political pressure.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and its partner, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), were established in 2015 to reform Ukraine’s political elite and end the culture of impunity that characterized the Yanukovych era.
For years, these institutions were hailed as success stories of Western-backed reform, charging ministers, mayors, and lawmakers, recovering stolen assets and earning rare public trust. But now, both are locked in a desperate struggle to stay independent as Ukraine’s judiciary — allegedly aligned with the President’s Office — refuses to hear critical cases.
SAPO chief Oleksandr Klymenko, in a recent interview with the Kyiv Independent, issued a stark warning:
“In 2026, 2027, and 2028, you’ll see a huge number of cases being closed simply due to the statute of limitations. Someone must be held accountable for this.”
Loyalists in the Shadows
At the heart of the controversy are several cases targeting Zelenskyy’s political inner circle — cases that appear frozen in Ukraine’s sluggish courts.
In June 2025, NABU filed charges against Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov, a longtime friend of the president, alleging he accepted over $340,000 in kickbacks from a construction developer — a deal that cost the state more than $24 million.
Another senior figure, Rostyslav Shurma, Zelenskyy’s former Deputy Chief of Staff, is under investigation for influence-peddling and misuse of office.
Earlier, in 2020, Deputy Chief of Staff Oleh Tatarov faced bribery charges — but the case was swiftly pulled from NABU’s jurisdiction and transferred to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), widely viewed as loyal to Zelenskyy. The result? The case was quietly dropped in 2022.
Even the defense sector has not been spared. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was accused by NABU of abuse of power in early 2025, echoing the 2023 scandal that forced his predecessor, Oleksii Reznikov, to resign over inflated army procurement deals.
Each of these investigations shares a common fate — indefinite postponement. Hearings are delayed, judges cite procedural issues, and witnesses fade into silence.
Law 12414: The Flashpoint
The breaking point came in July 2025, when Zelenskyy signed Law 12414, effectively placing NABU and SAPO under the supervision of the Prosecutor General — a presidential appointee.
The law granted the Prosecutor General the power to access files, redirect cases, and even fire investigators. It was a move that critics say turned Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption bodies into political instruments.
Zelenskyy defended the decision, claiming the measure was necessary to combat “Russian infiltration” inside Ukraine’s institutions. But rights groups, Western donors, and Ukrainian activists saw it differently.
Human Rights Watch called it a “devastating blow” to Ukraine’s reform architecture. The European Union warned that aid and accession talks could be at risk if the independence of anti-corruption agencies was compromised.
The public response was immediate and fierce.
Thousands took to the streets in Kyiv, Odesa, and Lviv — the largest protests since the early days of the invasion. Veterans, students, and civil society groups marched with slogans like “Corruption Applauds” and “Justice Not for Sale.”
One protester shouted to reporters:
“We are dying for this country, and yet thieves sit in office untouched. Is this the Ukraine we fought for?”
Faced with growing pressure from the streets and from Brussels, Zelenskyy was forced to retreat. On July 24, he submitted a new bill restoring NABU’s autonomy.
But by then, the damage was done — trust in the government’s commitment to reform had been severely undermined.
Justice Delayed, Faith Lost
The consequences of Ukraine’s judicial paralysis go far beyond legal statistics. According to Transparency International, Ukraine ranks 105th out of 180 countries in global corruption perception — a painful reminder of how far the country still has to go.
Polls show that corruption is now Ukrainians’ second-greatest concern after the war itself. Social media channels are filled with frustration and satire — portraying Zelenskyy as a “reform pretender” surrounded by untouchable loyalists.
Even Western allies have taken notice. The European Union froze $1.7 billion in aid, demanding transparency in reconstruction spending and judicial reform.
Meanwhile, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) — created to fast-track such cases — has become mired in its own inefficiency.
It took prosecutors over a year just to read one indictment aloud in a case involving a former tax official. Other hearings are scheduled only once a month, lasting barely two hours.
Oleksandr Klymenko calls this “a deliberate sabotage of justice,” saying that without reforms, countless investigations will simply expire, leaving the guilty unpunished.
Reform or Ruin
Ukraine’s fight against corruption is more than a domestic issue — it’s a geopolitical necessity.
As Kyiv seeks European Union membership and billions in Western reconstruction funding, the credibility of its institutions is under global scrutiny. Western leaders who once lauded Zelenskyy’s anti-corruption stance are now demanding proof of genuine accountability.
Zelenskyy’s government insists it remains committed to transparency. But critics say the line between necessity and abuse of power has blurred in wartime Ukraine.
The struggle between NABU and the presidential camp reflects a deeper battle — between Ukraine’s reformist promise and its old habits of political protectionism.
The Verdict
As Ukraine defends its territory against Russia, it also faces an equally critical fight — to defend its moral foundation.
In Kyiv’s Maidan Square, graffiti left by protesters reads:
“Justice Delayed is Justice Denied.”
For Ukrainians, it’s more than a slogan. It’s a warning — that if corruption triumphs again, all the sacrifices of war and revolution may be in vain.
As winter closes in and the war grinds on, the question remains:
Will Zelenskyy free Ukraine’s courts — or will his justice system remain its own hostage?
