Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, co-author of a bill on new sanctions against Russia, has responded to mass protests in Ukraine against a controversial law on anti-corruption agencies. Source: Richard Blumenthal on X (Twitter),

Ukraine’s president ran on a promise to clean things up, but critics say his government is cracking down on anti-corruption activists, critics and agencies.

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.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to face protests at home over his controversial law affecting two national anti-corruption watchdogs. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities and towns for the fourth day on July 26.

On Thursday the Ukrainian president announced that he would send a new anti-corruption Bill to the country’s parliament.

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.

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.