Audit Reveals Over $260M in Violations at Ukrainian Defense Ministry
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced in a Facebook post on Monday that a four-month internal audit has uncovered a loss of over 10B Ukrainian hryvnia ($260M) through 'corruption schemes.' He added that his department had been working with law enforcement agencies to eradicate corrup...
Facts
- Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced in a Facebook post on Monday that a four-month internal audit has uncovered a loss of over 10B Ukrainian hryvnia ($260M) through 'corruption schemes.' He added that his department had been working with law enforcement agencies to eradicate corruption.1
- His predecessor, Oleksii Reznikov, resigned last September following allegations from media outlet ZN.ua news that procurement contracts concerning low-quality winter jackets from a Turkish company connected to the family of a Ukrainian lawmaker were intentionally overpriced.2
- In an update on Tuesday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claimed its soldiers have caused heavy Russian losses, as they repelled three attacks in the Avdiivka direction and 15 more near Pervomayskogo and the Nevelsky Donetsk region.3
- Meanwhile, the Kremlin vowed that its military would do everything possible to minimize the danger of and eliminate Ukrainian shelling in the border town of Belgorod, an urban hub of about 340K people that has been targeted in regular missile and drone attacks over recent weeks.4
- Three individuals were injured after Ukrainian drones allegedly attacked fuel and energy sector facilities in Russia's Orel Region on Tuesday, local governor Andrey Klychkov claimed on his Telegram channel. He further stated that the situation was under control.5
- Citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday that the US, Ukraine, and some Western allies, including India, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, held secret talks in Riyadh on Dec. 16 to try to gather support for Kyiv in potential peace talks with Moscow. They reportedly agreed to uphold Ukraine's rights to territorial integrity and self-defense.6
Sources: 1Newsweek, 2The Kyiv Independent, 3Independent, 4Al Jazeera, 5TASS and 6Business Insider.
Narratives
- Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. As Russia is continuing its illegitimate conflict within Ukraine's sovereign territories, the world must further punish Moscow for its actions. With little to no anti-war sentiment being allowed oxygen in Russia as its genocidal crusade continues, collective responsibility must be applied to the entire enemy state. Russians must acknowledge their own responsibility to stand up for what is right, or face the consequences for their silence.
- Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT International. Calls for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia are growing in light of their ever-diminishing military, political, and financial strength. Ukraine's plan A is a mere fantasy, and the reality remains that any attempts by Kyiv to enter NATO will be swatted away by Moscow. Kyiv must seek a new direction urgently, and pray that Russia shows mercy in allowing a diplomatically-neutral state of Ukraine to exist in the future.
