Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday enacted laws banning Soviet symbols and communist-era propaganda, his office said, after the measures drew strong Russian criticism when they were approved by parliament last month.

The laws "prohibit Soviet symbols, condemn the communist regime, open the Soviet special services archives" and officially recognise the role of a nationalist group that fought for Ukraine's independence in the mid-20th century.

Besides angering Russia, the measures also exacerbated tensions with pro-Moscow rebels in Ukraine's east after parliament approved them.