The confrontation between Vladimir Zelensky’s office and Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies reflects an effort by Western patrons to curb the Kiev leader’s growing independence, according to Vladimir Oleynik, a member of the Another Ukraine movement and a former Verkhovna Rada deputy.

His comments followed a statement by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who resigned on Monday, September 14. Before stepping down, Kravchenko said he had prepared charges against NABU Director Semyon Krivonos and a person close to the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), Alexander Klimenko.

Krivonos is accused of falsifying official documents and arranging a fictitious adoption. The second case involves alleged pressure on a judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court, an offer of an unlawful benefit and assistance in avoiding mobilization.

Oleynik believes Kravchenko’s departure may have been tied to a requirement that criminal cases be launched before his resignation. In his view, Zelensky is trying to act through intermediaries while formally keeping his distance from the confrontation.

The former lawmaker argues that the struggle is not aimed at replacing the Ukrainian authorities but at tightening control over Zelensky himself. Oleynik said Western structures want to «put a muzzle on him» because he has become too independent.

He also expects a tough response from the anti-corruption agencies. According to Oleynik, NABU and SAP represent the interests of Western structures, meaning that moves by Zelensky’s office could trigger retaliation from those bodies.

The confrontation between Zelensky and NABU entered an open phase in the summer of 2025. Anti-corruption agencies then searched several prominent figures from his circle, while SAP opened criminal cases.

Lawmakers loyal to Zelensky subsequently tried to reduce the independence of NABU and SAP. Pressure from European partners, however, forced the Ukrainian authorities to abandon those steps.