Zelenskyy gathered the heads of the SBU, NABU, SAPO, NAPC and SBI: what was discussed
23 July 2025 13:54
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the heads of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies amid protests over Law 12414. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the President‘s Telegram channel.
According to the president, the meeting was attended by:
- head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Malyuk;
- head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Semen Kryvonos;
- head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) Oleksandr Klymenko;
- head of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) Viktor Pavlushchyk;
- head of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) Oleksii Sukhachov;
- head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) Ihor Klymenko;
- prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
“I gathered all the heads of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, and the Prosecutor General was also present. It was a very necessary meeting, a frank and useful conversation that really helps,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his address after the meeting.
The President emphasized that in times of war, the defense of the state depends not only on military efforts, but also on the strength of institutions capable of ensuring justice and accountability.
“We all have a common enemy – the Russian occupiers, and the defense of the Ukrainian state requires sufficient strength of law enforcement and anti-corruption systems, and therefore a real sense of justice,” he said.
Special attention was paid to the duration of criminal proceedings and the problem of impunity for those who act against national interests.
“Criminal proceedings should not last for years without legal verdicts, and those who work against Ukraine should not feel comfortable and not feel the inevitability of punishment,” the President emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the participants of the meeting for their willingness to cooperate constructively for the sake of the state’s interests.
“I am grateful to all the participants of our meeting today: The SSU, NABU, SAPO, NAPC, SBI, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Prosecutor General. Thank you for your willingness to work as a team – the team of Ukraine. And for the sake of Ukraine’s interests. We have agreed that everyone will work exclusively constructively,” he said.
The President also drew attention to the expectations of the society regarding decisive actions of the state in the field of justice and fight against corruption.
“We all hear what the society says. We see what people expect from state institutions to ensure fairness and efficiency of each institution,” Zelenskyy said.
During the meeting, the parties agreed on further steps. A working meeting will be held next week, and a joint action plan should be ready in two weeks.
“We discussed the necessary administrative and legislative decisions that will strengthen the work of each institution, resolve existing contradictions, and remove threats. Everyone will work together, and we will support them at the political level. We agreed that next week we will have an in-depth working meeting on a common action plan. And in two weeks, a joint plan should be ready – what steps are needed and will be implemented to strengthen Ukraine and resolve existing issues, provide more justice and really protect the interests of Ukrainian society,” the President summarized.
On the evening of July 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law restricting the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
Prior to that, people in a number of cities took to the streets in peaceful protests against the signing of the law. In particular, in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Lutsk, Poltava, and Ternopil. The protesters chanted and called for the law to be vetoed.
What you need to know about draft law No. 12414
The draft law was initiated by MPs Maksym Pavliuk, Viacheslav Medianyk, Oleksandr Bakumov, and Serhiy Minko.
The document was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on January 16, 2025. On April 29, the bill was adopted as a basis. On Tuesday, July 22, the law was adopted (263 MPs pressed the green button) and sent to the President of Ukraine for signature.
Officially, the document concerns amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code regarding the investigation of disappearances under special circumstances during martial law. But, according to MP Anastasia Radina, it has been amended to actually subordinate the NABU and the SAPO to the Prosecutor General.
In particular, the law gives the Prosecutor General the following powers
- access to all NABU cases and delegate this access to other prosecutors;
- provide written instructions to NABU detectives and change the jurisdiction of cases;
- to independently resolve disputes over jurisdiction and sign suspicions to top officials;
- exclusively decide who is part of the group of prosecutors, depriving the head of the SAPO of this right;
- to close investigations at the request of the defense.
On the eve of the adoption of the draft law, the SBU and the Prosecutor General’s Office announced that they had exposed Russian influence on the NABU. According to law enforcement officials, some NABU employees are accused of treason, illegal trade with Russia, and working in the interests of oligarchs. At least 70 searches were conducted.
