Ukrainian analysts have told Newsweek the move undoes a decade of democratic progress, although its president Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he backed a new draft law aimed at strengthening the independence the anti-corruption institutions. Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian president's office and the Kremlin for comment.

The National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine has long been a battleground in Ukrainian politics, where graft is rife.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a bill that critics say weakens the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies, sparking protests in several cities and drawing international criticism.