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Zelensky dismisses more than a dozen senior officials amid complaints about corruption cases in Ukraine

One of the cases involves the alleged purchase of military rations at inflated prices by the Ministry of Defense.

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Zelensky dismisses more than a dozen senior officials amid complaints about corruption cases in Ukraine

One of the cases involves the alleged purchase of military rations at inflated prices by the Ministry of Defense

MADRID, 24 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has announced on Tuesday the dismissal of more than a dozen governors, deputy ministers and even his deputy adviser, days after announcing that there would be changes in the leadership of the country after 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 Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Community Development, Vasil Lozinski, for allegedly accepting bribes. After that, the head of the portfolio, Oleksander Kubrakov, explained that Lozinski "was arrested when he received bribes worth $ 400,000 obtained for his help in finalizing contracts for the purchase of equipment and machinery."

Kubrakov also revealed that he had ordered to analyze "all active projects" within the ministry, including "budget funds, funds from international financial institutions and for technical assistance projects", while Zelensky strongly 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 defense issues, foreign policy and war, but that doesn't mean I don't see or hear what that is 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 noting 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, Zelensky made a veiled reference to the investigations into the alleged role of the Ministry of Defense in buying military rations at inflated prices, accusations firmly rejected by the head of the portfolio, Oleksiy Reznikov, who pointed to a campaign to undermine confidence in the government among kyiv's international partners.

Finally, the Ukrainian president accepted early today the decision of his deputy adviser, Kirilo Timoshenko, who shortly before had 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, Viacheslav Shapovalov, to be removed from office.

Shapovalov, who is responsible for supplies in the rear, has asked to be dismissed after accusations of irregularities in the acquisition of food for the 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 position" , has affirmed the Ministry of Defense through a statement.

Shortly after, the General Prosecutor of Ukraine, Andriy Kostin, has signed an order with the dismissal of his 'number two', Oleksiy Simonenko, who had been in office since March 2020. The Prosecutor's Office has said on Telegram that Simonenko had presented 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 affected governors are those of the kyiv, Oleksiy Kuleba provinces; Zaporizhia, Oleksandra Staruja; Sumy, Dimitro Zhivitski; Kherson, Yaroslav Yanushevich; and Dnipropetrovsk, Valentina Reznichenko.

In the case of the deputy ministers, those dismissed are Shapovalov himself, the deputy minister for Social Policy, Vitali Muzichenka, and the deputy ministers for Development Ivan Lukerya and Viachelsav Negoda. Both Lukerya and Negoda had announced their resignation shortly before through separate messages on their accounts on the Facebook social network.

However, the authorities have not yet ruled on whether these stoppages are in any way related to the investigations into alleged irregularities. Zelensky ordered late on Monday that officials cannot leave the country except to carry out official functions.

"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. Civil servants They will not be able to go abroad to rest or for any other purpose that is not related to the State," he stressed.

For his part, the adviser to the Ukrainian Presidency, Mikhailo Podoliak, has maintained that "Zelensky's personal decisions are an example of the State's key priorities." "He will not turn a blind eye. During the war, everyone must understand his responsibility. The president sees and listens to society and responds directly to a key public demand: justice for all," he tweeted.

These accusations of corruption have also led David Arajamia, leader of the parliamentary bloc of Zelenski's party, Servant of the People, to impose jail terms against the officials involved in these cases. "Since February 24 (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, cut red tape and avoid business. doubtful," he said Monday on Telegram.

"This message was heard by many. Not by others, unfortunately. Apparently, we will act definitively this spring. If it doesn't work in a civilized way, it will be through the laws of war," he said, before insisting that "this will be It applies both to the recent purchase of generators and to the recent scandals at the Ministry of Defence."

"Within 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," said 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 cases of corruption and Transparency International placed it in 2021 in 122nd place out of a total of 180 in its study on the perception of corruption. 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.