How a youth-led backlash pushed Zelensky to his biggest U-turn yet

Unrest comes at a difficult moment for Ukraine, which is slowly losing ground to Russia's grinding tactics at the front

- Jane Lytvynenko

Anton Tymoshenko, a popular Ukrainian comedian, pressed into the protest crowd here last week holding a speaker above his head playing the voice of another humorist—the one who is now Ukraine's president.

If you encounter corruption, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in the 2019 message playing on Tymoshenko's speaker, call the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine.

Zelensky reversed course, proposing a new bill restoring their independence. Zelensky signed it into law Thursday after Parliament overwhelmingly voted to pass it. The session reflected the commotion of the moment, with two lawmakers scuffling and one holding up his middle finger during a speech.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Kyiv to support the reinstatement of anticorruption powers watched the livestream on their phones, booing some and letting out a cheer when the law passed.

"It is very important that the state listens to public opinion," said Zelensky in a video address after signing the law. "Ukraine is a democracy—absolutely no doubt about it."

The swift reversal shows the enduring power of street politics in Ukraine, this time led by a chorus of youthful figures holding up cardboard signs with their acerbic demands.

"The main source of power in this country is people with cardboard signs," said the 31-year-old Tymoshenko, whose popular live shows often poke fun at Ukrainian politics and society while raising funds for the army.