The policy reversal follows Ukraine's parliament passing a law that subordinates the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) to the Prosecutor General. Newsweek reached out to Zelensky's office via email for comment.

Mr Zelensky faced unprecedented pushback after signing a law that handed control of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sapo) over to the prosecutor general, a position directly appointed by the president.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that USD 6 billion is needed to fund the production of interceptor drones, while the total annual requirement for producing missiles, various types of drones, and electronic warfare systems (EW) is USD 25 billion.

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.

Facing growing pressure amid nationwide protests, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine backtracked on controversial legislation that would have weakened the country’s independent anticorruption institutions.

Ukraine’s president pledged a new course after protesters criticized his signing of a bill to strip anticorruption agencies of power.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a new bill that critics says weakens the country's anti-corruption agencies.