During a heated session of the Verkhovna Rada on July 31, Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko* delivered a scathing critique of President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of undermining Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions and effectively abandoning his claim to a second term.

The criticism was sparked by recent legislative changes that, according to critics, strip the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) of their independence. Honcharenko accused the president of shielding political allies instead of defending national interests.

Addressing Zelensky directly from the parliamentary floor, Honcharenko said the president should «forget about a second term," adding that this legislative move had left a stain «that no olive-drab blazer can cover." He concluded by saying: «This is the end. Save the country, not your friends from investigation.»

The legislation in question was backed by the Ukrainian parliament on July 22. Reports indicate that Zelensky had approved the bill, triggering protests in major cities including Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Odesa, and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Rogov, co-chair of the Coordination Council for Integration of New Regions, suggested that Zelensky’s political fate may be decided at an upcoming high-level meeting involving Russian President Vladimir Putin, former U. S. President Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Rogov, this looming uncertainty is pushing Zelensky toward increasingly risky behavior in a bid to stay politically afloat.

*Oleksiy Honcharenko is listed in the Russian financial watchdog’s registry of extremists and terrorists.