Volodymyr Zelensky dismisses key officials in anti-graft purge

Western allies have allocated billions in military and financial aid to Kyiv on condition of anti-­corruption reforms.

Volodymyr Zelensky with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Kyiv on Tuesday. Picture: AFP

Kyiv has announced the dismissal of a dozen top officials in its biggest political shake-up following the country’s first major corruption scandal linked to the invasion.

Ukraine has long suffered endemic corruption, but Moscow’s almost year-long full-scale war has overshadowed government ­efforts to stamp out graft.

Western allies have allocated billions of dollars in financial and military aid to Kyiv, often preconditioning the support on anti-­corruption reforms.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening ­address on Tuesday the clean-up was necessary and that additional measures would be taken.

The shake-up came after a Ukrainian deputy minister of development of communities and territories, Vasyl Lozynskiy, was sacked at the weekend following his arrest on suspicion of embezzlement. Photographs released by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau showed stashes of cash seized at Lozynskiy’s office.

The 36-year-old was accused of receiving a $US400,000 bribe to “facilitate” the purchase of gen­erators at inflated prices, as Ukraine struggles with electricity shortages following Russian strikes on its energy grid.

On Tuesday, key presidential aide Kyrylo Tymoshenko, who has worked with Mr Zelensky since his 2019 election, announced his resignation. Mr Tymoshenko was implicated in several scandals, including over the alleged personal use last October of an SUV donated to Ukraine for humanitarian purposes.

Also dismissed were the heads of the central Dnipropetrovsk ­region, the northeastern Sumy ­region, the southern regions of ­Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, as well as the region surrounding Kyiv.

Two deputy ministers of development of communities and territories, and a deputy minister of social policy were also sacked.

Deputy Defence Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, who worked on providing logistical support for the army resigned after the ministry was accused of signing food contracts at prices two to three times higher than current rates for basic foodstuffs.

Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko also resigned, following media that he had holidayed in Spain, reportedly using a car belonging to a Ukrainian business.

The US welcomed the dismissals and said that none of the billions in US war assistance was known to have been involved.

Transparency International ranked Ukraine 122 out of 180 in its corruption ranking for 2021.

AFP