Russia is weaponizing ongoing domestic protests in Ukraine to intensify rhetoric designed to undermine Ukraine’s legitimacy and discourage Western support. The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament) passed Draft Law No. 12414 on July 22, which subordinates Ukraine’s two main anti-corruption agencies – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) – to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General.[1] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the draft bill into law later in the evening on July 22.[2] The bill’s passage comes after the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office conducted a raid against NABU offices on July 21 as part of investigations into employees allegedly suspected of collaborating with Russia after the NABU opened investigations into SBU personnel for extortion.[3] Ukrainians began protesting the law on June 22 in multiple large cities and continued protesting on June 23, citing concerns about the NABU’s and SAP’s ability to operate independent of government influence.[4] Zelensky stated that law No. 12414 is necessary to ensure that Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies can operate without Russian influence and that he will soon propose bills to the Verkhovna Rada to support the NABU’s and SAP’s independent operations.[5]
Ukrainian and Russian delegations met on July 23 in Istanbul for the third round of bilateral negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree on July 23 authorizing Ukrainian political and military officials to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf during the bilateral talks.[15] Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation, and Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky led the Russian delegation.[16] The Russian delegation is notably comprised of the same representatives as the May and June 2025 Istanbul negotiations. The Ukrainian delegation emphasized their focus on the return of prisoners of war (POWs) as well as deported Ukrainian children and the need for a meeting between Zelensky, US President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin to move toward more substantive negotiations to end the war.[17] ISW will report on the July 23 Ukrainian-Russian talks in more depth in the July 24 update as additional information becomes available.
Kremlin officials continue to undermine the negotiation process while reiterating Russia’s commitment to achieving its original war aims. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed on July 23 that Russia will achieve all of its goals in Ukraine – likely referring to Russia’s original war aims, including regime change in Ukraine, changes to NATO’s open-door policy, and the reduction of Ukraine’s military such that it cannot defend itself.[18] Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on July 23 that no one expects the third round of Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul to be an “easy road,” that the talks will be “very difficult,” and that both sides’ draft memoranda are “diametrically opposed.”[19] Peskov claimed that Ukraine and Russia can only start to plan a bilateral presidential summit after completing work to coordinate their memoranda.[20] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in contrast, continued to demonstrate Ukraine’s willingness to engage in the negotiation process, stating on July 23 that Ukraine is ready to work towards preparing for a presidential meeting to bring about an end to the war.[21] ISW continues to assess that Russia is deliberately delaying the negotiation process – including the possibility of a Zelensky-Putin meeting aimed at ending the war – in order to protract the war and make additional gains on the battlefield.[22]
Key Takeaways:
- Russia is weaponizing ongoing domestic protests in Ukraine to intensify rhetoric designed to undermine Ukraine’s legitimacy and discourage Western support.
- The ongoing Ukrainian protests are notably not anti-war demonstrations, but Russian commentators are trying to paint them as protests against Zelensky and Ukraine’s war effort in order to accomplish informational effects that will generate benefits for Russian forces on the battlefield.
- Ukrainian and Russian delegations met on July 23 in Istanbul for the third round of bilateral negotiations.
- Kremlin officials continue to undermine the negotiation process while reiterating Russia’s commitment to achieving its original war aims.
- Russia continues to diversify and bolster its security apparatus in an effort to centralize state power in a way that will worsen the already systematic abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilians in Russia and occupied Ukraine.
- Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Chasiv Yar. Russian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy and in western Zaporizhia oblasts and near Borova.