MOSCOW/ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday signed a bill on reinstating the independence of his country's anti-corruption agencies into law.

"I want to thank all the Members of Parliament right now for passing my bill – now officially a law. I have just signed the document, and its text will be published immediately," Zelenskyy said in a video statement on X.

Zelenskyy's remarks came a couple of hours after Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, voted to support the bill with 331 lawmakers voting in favor, surpassing the required threshold of 226 votes for passage​​​​​​​.

The signing of the new bill into law followed the approval of its earlier version by the Verkhovna Rada on July 22, which had brought the country's two major anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), under the oversight of the prosecutor general.

Zelenskyy signed the measures into law, but following major protests, including in the capital Kyiv, the president announced last week that he launched a new legislation initiative aimed at restoring the agencies' independence.

Ukraine's president submitted the new version of the bill to parliament on July 24.

Zelenskyy said in his latest remarks that the new law guarantees the "proper independent functioning" of Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies and all law enforcement agencies.

"The law ensures the absence of any external influence or interference, including through polygraph checks – regular checks for all law enforcement personnel who have access to state secrets or have relatives in Russia. This is the right decision," he noted.

Zelenskyy said it is important that the state listens to public opinion and its citizens, and added: "Ukraine is a democracy – without any doubt. Government officials will also promptly inform Ukraine’s international partners about this law."