Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski announced Tuesday the dismissal of more than a dozen governors, deputy ministers and even his deputy advisor, days after announcing that there would be changes at the top of the country following several scandals within the Ministry of Defense and the arrest of a deputy minister for allegedly accepting bribes.
Ukrainian authorities confirmed on Sunday the arrest and dismissal of the deputy minister of Infrastructure and Community Development, Vasil Lozinski, for allegedly taking bribes. After that, the head of the portfolio, Oleksander Kubrakov, detailed that Lozinski «was detained while receiving bribes worth $400,000 obtained for his help in finalizing contracts for the purchase of equipment and machinery».
Kubrakov also revealed that he had given orders to analyze «all active projects» within the ministry, including «budgetary funds, funds from international financial institutions and for technical assistance projects», while Zelenski harshly criticized the case and also promised changes within the government.
«I want this to be a signal to everyone that these actions or behavior violate the principle of justice. Of course, our main focus is on defense issues, foreign policy and war, but that does not mean that I do not see or hear what is being said at different levels of society,» he explained.
In this regard, he stressed that he was preparing «appropriate decisions.» «It will be fair. In each situation we will analyze everything in detail,» he said, while outlining that he was working to address the situation regarding «energy and supply» and «relations between the central government and the regions.» «The State will take necessary and powerful steps,» he advanced, while addressing that among the issues to be discussed is the delivery of supplies to the Army.
Thus, Zelenski made a veiled reference to investigations into the Defense Ministry’s alleged role in the purchase of military rations at inflated prices, accusations firmly rejected by the portfolio holder, Oleksiy Reznikov, who pointed to a campaign to undermine confidence in the government among Kiev’s international partners.
Finally, the Ukrainian president accepted earlier in the day the decision of his deputy advisor, Kirilo Timoshenko, who shortly before would have thanked Zelenski for his «trust» and «the opportunity to carry out good deeds every day and every minute». Shortly after, Reznikov has supported the request of his deputy minister, Vyacheslav Shapovalov, to be removed from the post.
Shapovalov, who is responsible for rear supplies, has asked to be dismissed following allegations of irregularities in the procurement of food for troops. «Despite the fact that the accusations are unfounded, Shapovalov’s words about his dismissal are a meritorious act in line with the tradition of European and democratic politics, as well as a sign that the interests of Defense are higher than any office,» the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Shortly after, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Andriy Kostin, has signed an order with the dismissal of his ‘number two’, Oleksiy Simonenko, who had been in the post since March 2020. The Prosecutor’s Office has said on Telegram that Simonenko had tendered his resignation.
Just a few hours later, the Ukrainian government has approved a series of decrees of the president for the dismissal of five governors and five deputy ministers. The governors affected are those of Kiev oblasts, Oleksiy Kuleba; Zaporiyia, Oleksandra Staruja; Sumy, Dimitro Zhivitski; Kherson, Yaroslav Yanushevich; and Dnipropetrovsk, Valentina Reznichenko.
In the case of the deputy ministers, those dismissed are Shapovalov himself, Deputy Minister of Social Policy Vitali Muzichenka, and Deputy Ministers of Development Ivan Lukerya and Viachelsav Negoda. Both Lukerya and Negoda had shortly before announced their resignation through messages on their Facebook accounts.
RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL ABROAD However, the authorities have not yet commented on whether these resignations are related to the investigations into alleged irregularities. Zelenski ordered late Monday that officials may not leave the country except to carry out official duties.
«This applies to officers of the security forces, elected representatives, prosecutors and all those who work for the state and within the state. If they want to rest, they will do so outside of their service to the state. Officials will not be allowed to go abroad to rest or for any other purpose unrelated to the State,» he stressed.
For his part, Ukrainian presidential aide Mikhail Podoliak has maintained that «Zelensky’s personal decisions are a sign of the key priorities of the state.» «He will not turn a blind eye. During the war, everyone must understand their responsibility. The president sees and listens to society and responds directly to a key demand of the public – justice for all,» he said on Twitter.
These corruption allegations have further led David Arajamia, leader of the parliamentary bloc of Zelenski’s party, People’s Servant, to impose prison sentences against officials implicated in these cases. «Since February 24 (of 2022, the date of the start of the Russian invasion), officials at all levels have been warned through official and unofficial channels: focus on the war, help the victims, reduce bureaucracy and avoid dubious business,» he said on Telegram on Monday.
«This message was heard by many. By others it was not, unfortunately. Apparently, we will act definitively this spring. If it does not work in a civilized way, it will be through the laws of war,» he said, before stressing that «this applies to both the recent purchase of generators and the recent scandals in the Ministry of Defense.»
«In the framework of responsibility, we ask the authorities to open investigations and analyze these events from a legal point of view. If the law has been violated, these people must be punished for it,» concluded Arajamia, who was also one of the negotiators in the contacts held in 2022 with Russia to try to reach a peace agreement.
Ukraine has been the scene in the past of numerous corruption cases and Transparency International ranked it 122nd out of 180 in 2021 in its corruption perception survey. The fight against these crimes is also one of the key demands of the European Union (EU) in the framework of the process for its possible accession to the bloc, something firmly rejected by Russia.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
