TWO years ago a Ukrainian blogger, Mustafa Nayem, published a Facebook post calling people onto Kiev’s Maidan and launched the protest that toppled the government of Viktor Yanukovych. On March 27th Mr Nayem, who is now a deputy in the Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, called people out again—this time to demand the dismissal of the country’s prosecutor-general, Viktor Shokin, who had conspicuously thwarted investigations into corruption. “Basta,” wrote Mr Nayem. “We once again have to come onto the streets.” His indignation was aimed at Petro Poroshenko, the president, who had protected Mr Shokin as a political crony.
Two days later, bowing to pressure from Ukrainian civil society and western donors, the Rada dismissed Mr Shokin. As a parting shot he fired his pro-reform deputy, David Sakvarelidze, who had uncovered corruption within the prosecutor’s own office. Worse, the request to fire Mr Sakvarelidze reportedly came from one of Mr Yanukovych’s former associates.
The strife in the prosecutor general’s office is the latest battle in a continuing war for the country’s European future. “We are on a brink of a catastrophe that could…
