On Tuesday, Ukraine’s government dismissed some of its senior officials after a corruption scandal. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a press release that at least 60 government employees “are working against our state,” per Axios.
Even before the war began, Zelenskyy vowed to investigate the possibilities of corruption and eliminate them, particularly allegations of government officials colluding with Russia, according to The New York Times.
“I want this to be clear: There will be no return to what used to be in the past,” Zelenskyy said, per the Times.
What Ukrainian officials were fired?
One of those fired was acting minister for regional development, Vasyl Lozynskyy, who was accused by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine of benefitting from “$400,000 in ‘unlawful benefits’ for facilitating contracts.” Those contracts were meant to procure power generators to deal with a crumbling infrastructure from Russian attacks, leaving the country vulnerable and possibly without heat or power in the frigid winter, according to CNN.
“As of today, 651 criminal proceedings have been registered regarding treason and collaboration activities of employees of prosecutor’s offices, pretrial investigation bodies, and other law enforcement agencies,” Zelenskyy said, per Axios.
What are the allegations against Ukrainian officials?
A Ukrainian newspaper published an expose over the weekend claiming the Ministry of Defense was purchasing food that was supposed to go to troops fighting at highly inflated food prices and possibly pocketing the extra funds, per the Times.
Zelesnkyy hasn’t explained the firings in detail, but he has mentioned an investigation “that found nearly 200 employees within their departments engaged in criminal activity by aiding Russia,” NPR reported.
Zelenskyy’s deputy, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, tendered his resignation Monday. It’s not clear whether the other firings are related to his resignation, but there were reports questioning his use of a Chevrolet Tahoe that Ukrainian journalists claim was a misuse of a vehicle meant for humanitarian purposes, per the Times.