Day 335: String of Sackings and Resignations Amid Ukraine Corruption Allegations
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Facts
- With Tuesday marking 11 months since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Ukrainian government has been shaken by a series of corruption allegations that have led to the firings and resignations of a number of officials.
- As reported earlier in the week, the first to go was Ukraine's deputy minister for community development Vasyl Lozynskyi, who was detained and dismissed from his post over the weekend for allegedly stealing $400K in funds intended for purchasing aid, including generators.
- On Monday, Ukraine's deputy prosecutor general, Oleksiy Symonenko, resigned after the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda revealed he had taken a vacation to Spain in a luxury car owned by Grigory Kozlovsky — a businessman accused of tax evasion and mass production of cigarettes for the black market. Under Ukraine's martial law, men aged 18–60 were not permitted to leave the country.
- He was followed by deputy defense minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, who resigned Tuesday after the Ukrainian newspaper ZN UA reported that the country's defense ministry had purchased food for its armed forces at prices two-to-three times higher than their equivalents in Kyiv supermarkets. The defense ministry labeled the allegations 'unsubstantiated,' but thanked Shapovalov, who'd been in charge of procurement, for taking the fall.
- The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, also resigned Tuesday. He was under investigation relating to his personal use of luxury cars, as well as his alleged involvement in an embezzlement scheme worth $7M from humanitarian aid that had been earmarked for the region of Zaporizhzhia.
- Later in the day, it was confirmed that the head of social policy, Vitali Muzichenka, and two deputy ministers for community — Ivan Lukerya and Vyachelsav Negoda — were also dismissed from their roles. So too were the governors of five regions — Oleksiy Kuleba in Kyiv, Dimitro Zhivitski in Sumy, Yaroslav Yanushevich in Kherson, Valentina Reznichenko in Dnipropetrovsk and Oleksandra Staruja in Zaporizhzhia.
- Meanwhile, on the ground, with the brunt of the fighting continuing in Donetsk, Ukrainian officials reported that three civilians were killed and three others were injured in the region over the past day. Pro-Russia officials reported that five civilians were injured in Ukrainian attacks on Donetsk over the same time period.
Sources: Associated press, Guardian, Kyivindependent, Kyivindependent, Associated press, Msn and Pravda.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by Bbc news. Ukraine has a history of corruption, evident in the fact that it came 122 out of 180 countries in Transparency International's 2021 rankings of corrupt states. However, the European Union has emphasized that cleaning up corruption is a key stipulation if Ukraine wants to join the bloc. Zelenskyy is taking effective action to meet that demand, with a view to fostering closer ties with the rest of Europe and protecting Ukraine's political and military security.
- Narrative B, as provided by Politico. Kyiv has been keen to show the European Union that it's been rooting out corruption in the country. However, today's developments will strike severe blows to Ukraine's reputation among EU officials. The perception of Kyiv's commitment to the application process, along with those of Ukraine's overall EU aspirations in general, have been damaged by these reports.
- Nerd narrative, as provided by Metaculus. There is a 1% chance that Ukraine will join the European Union before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.