War in Ukraine: what do we know about corruption scandals shaking power

These are accusations that the country has fled since the beginning of the war. But in recent days, several cases of alleged corruption exposed by the media have flared up in Ukraine. To the point that high-ranking officials announced their resignations on Tuesday.

What are the charges?

The alleged facts are embarrassing to say the least in Kyiv, almost a year after Russia invaded Ukraine. According to a number of media outlets, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense signed contracts at inflated prices – “two to three times” higher than regular prices – to purchase food for soldiers. The contract for 2023 is $350 million, according to the ZN.UA information website.

At the same time, a completely different novel broke out at the same time. Last weekend, First Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development Vasily Lozinkiy was arrested by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on suspicion of embezzlement in connection with contracts for the sale of electrical equipment and generators at inflated prices. In addition, various scandals occur, including the use by one manager of vehicles intended for humanitarian aid, or the departure of another on vacation, in the midst of a conflict.

Who has retired?

In recent days, several members of the government and those close to President Volodymyr Zelensky have resigned. Such is the case this weekend with Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Chapovalov, who was in charge of logistics for the armed forces.

Pavel Galimon, deputy leader of the presidential Servant of the People party, was fired on Monday amid allegations of corruption related to the purchase of real estate in Kyiv for more than his declared income.

Kirill Timoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential administration, also resigned after the revelations that the car was used for humanitarian aid. He is one of the few employees who have worked with the head of state since his election in 2019. In particular, he led projects for the reconstruction of facilities damaged by Russian strikes.

Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko also left his post after he was accused of going abroad on vacation at the height of the conflict, and that men of military age are not allowed to leave Ukraine except for professional reasons.

According to the Ukrainian news site ZN.UA, the heads of the military administrations of Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions also resigned.

Five regional governors and four deputy ministers were also sacked, the government said Tuesday at noon.

According to Taras Melnichuk, government representative in parliament, the governors of Dnepropetrovsk (in the center), Zaporozhye (south), Sumy (north), Kherson (south) and the capital Kyiv regions will leave their posts.

What are the authorities reacting to?

On Sunday – and before a string of resignations – the Ministry of Defense denied the accusations, assuring that the purchases were “relevant” and the contracts were “in the manner prescribed by law.” He even reaffirmed the principle of “zero tolerance” for corruption. On Monday, an emergency meeting was held around Minister Alexei Reznikov.

For his part, Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the corruption cases this Sunday in a video. “Of course, the current focus is on defense, foreign policy and war,” he began. “But this week there will be corresponding decisions. They have already been considered (…) and they will be fair,” the Ukrainian president promised.

He assured that all accusations “will be analyzed in detail”, both in terms of energy and the supply of soldiers, as well as relations between the government and the regions. “The population will have all the information, and the state will take the necessary decisive steps,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, saying that he was grateful to the journalists who lifted the curtain on these cases.