Ukraine Sacks Two Cyber Defense Officials in Corruption Probe

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • Amid a probe into corruption and embezzlement, two senior cyber defense officials were sacked from their posts, a Ukrainian government official confirmed on Monday.1
  • Yurii Shchyhol, head of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, and his deputy, Viktor Zhora, were both fired, Taras Melnychuk, a senior cabinet official, said on Telegram.2
  • The pair were not named in the statement by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau. However, the agency said that 'the general director and employee of a state-owned enterprise' were among those believed to be involved.2
  • It further said that a total of six people were being investigated for their alleged roles in the plot to embezzle 62M Ukrainian hryvnia ($1.72M) between 2020 and 2022. They are suspected of purchasing software at inflated prices before pocketing the difference.1
  • However, in a statement on behalf of Shchyhol, a spokesperson disputed that the two men were fired and said that they had resigned in order to let the investigation proceed. Zhora did not respond to requests for comment.3
  • Meanwhile, a spokesperson for State Service said that the agency has 'provided law enforcement with all the necessary information' and that the agency’s work is 'based on the principles of openness and zero toleration of corruption.' It urged the public to not reach any conclusions of guilt until the investigation has been completed.3

Sources: 1US News & World Report, 2Associated Press and 3Cyberscoop.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. All purchases by the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection were carried out in full compliance with the law. This is merely an investigation at this stage and conclusions should not be reached until the probe has been completed.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by US News & World Report. This is yet another worrying example of corruption allegations in Ukraine. Kyiv will have to do a better job of cleaning up these kinds of acts if it wants to eventually be granted entry to the EU.

Predictions