"Dark times ahead." "Peak of corruption." "Point of no return." Ukrainian society sounded a code red for the country's democracy on July 22, as the final votes were tallied on a bill in Ukraine's parliament that strips independence from anti-corruption bodies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill on Tuesday revoking the autonomy of two anti-corruption agencies, a proposal that has sparked rare street protests in Kyiv and alarm among the country's international backers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a bill that would revoke the autonomy of key anticorruption agencies, a plan that has triggered rare street demonstrations in the capital, Kyiv. Critics say the legislation consolidates power in Zelenskyy’s hands and will allow government meddling in high-profile corruption cases.