Ex-Austrian FM suggests Ukraine’s protests are orchestrated by West

(MENAFN) Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl has suggested that recent protests in Ukraine against President Vladimir Zelensky’s move to bring anti-corruption bodies under executive control may have been orchestrated by Western countries. Speaking to Russian news agency TASS, Kneissl questioned the spontaneous nature of the rallies, which erupted after Zelensky placed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under presidential oversight. This decision came after security services carried out raids targeting NABU personnel, prompting thousands to protest across the country.

Demonstrators accused Zelensky of betraying Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts and demanded he reverse the changes. In response, Zelensky claimed the agencies had fallen under Russian influence, justifying his move as a matter of national security. Critics, however, viewed it as a step toward authoritarianism, arguing it undermined the independence of institutions vital to democratic governance and EU accession.

Kneissl, reflecting on Ukraine’s political dependence on the West, expressed skepticism about the independence of the protests. “It looks rather strange for a country and leadership that are heavily dependent on the West to take this step,” she said, adding that the demonstrations “may have been organized.”

She also drew a parallel with the 2014 Maidan uprising, which toppled President Viktor Yanukovich. Kneissl echoed claims that those protests were “well organized, generously funded,” and supported by foreign actors, specifically citing the image of US diplomat Victoria Nuland distributing cookies to demonstrators in Kiev as symbolic of Western involvement.

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