Kyiv is facing its biggest corruption scandal since the start of the Russian invasion as several senior officials announced their resignations and several more were fired on Tuesday following allegations of fraudulent food purchases.
Ukraine has a history of widespread corruption, including among the political elite, but efforts to stamp out bribery have been overshadowed by Moscow’s full-scale war that began in February.
Kyiv’s Western allies, who have contributed billions of dollars in financial and military support, have pushed for years for anti-corruption reforms, sometimes as a precondition for bailouts.
Among the officials who resigned were Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Vyacheslav Shapovalov, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Kyrylo Timoshenko and Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko.
The Defense Ministry announced the resignation of Shapovalov, who was in charge of logistics for the army, following accusations of signing food contracts at inflated prices.
Local media last week accused the ministry of signing the deal at prices “two to three times higher” than current prices for basic foodstuffs.
In a statement, the ministry insists the allegations were “groundless and unfounded” but says that Shapovalov’s resignation “will preserve the trust of society and international partners.”
Tymoshenko, who has worked with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since his election in 2019 and oversaw regional politics, also announced her resignation on Tuesday.
He posted a photo of himself with a handwritten resignation letter, thanking the President for “the opportunity to do good deeds every day and every minute.”
Tymoshenko has been involved in several scandals during her tenure, including last October when she was accused of using a car donated to Ukraine for humanitarian purposes.
The dismissal of Simonenko, the deputy prosecutor general, came after reports appeared in the media that he was vacationing in Spain this winter in a car owned by a Ukrainian businessman.
Stubborn Problem
In his evening address earlier Monday, Zelenskiy announced upcoming “personnel decisions” at various levels and said he was barring officials from traveling abroad for non-work purposes.
“If they want to rest now, they will rest outside the civil service,” Zelensky said.
Transparency International ranked Ukraine 122 out of 180 in the 2021 Corruption Index.
The reshuffle took place after the Deputy Minister for the Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine was dismissed on suspicion of embezzlement over the weekend after being arrested on suspicion of embezzlement.
Vasily Lozinsky was accused of accepting a bribe for “facilitating” the purchase of generators at inflated prices as Ukraine faced power shortages following Russian strikes on the power grid.
The European Union has singled out anti-corruption measures as one of the key reforms needed for Ukraine to obtain the status of a candidate member of the bloc.
According to the Center for Economic Strategy, a Ukrainian think tank, total Western military and financial support for Kyiv could reach $100 billion this year, including more than $40 billion for its armed forces.
