On Thursday, Zelensky backtracked, saying the new bill was intended to safeguard the independence of Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sap), and to protect them from Russian influence.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has finalized a new set of regulations on the work of the anti-corruption authorities in the wake of protests against controversial new legislation passed by the parliament in Kiev.

Opponents of a new law they say strips Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs of their independence called for a third straight day of street protests across the country Thursday.