Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that corruption, the long-running problem behind Ukraine’s war against Russia, would not be tolerated. Zelensky has promised that key decisions to uproot corruption will be made this week.
Zelensky announced the promise after allegations of corruption among senior officials emerged. The corruption allegations included a report on questionable military procurement practices despite national solidarity in Ukraine against the Russian aggression.
“I want to make it very clear: there is no going back to the way things used to be, there is no going back to the old way of life where people were close to state institutions, or people who spent their lives chasing positions,” Zelensky said in an evening video chat. “
Ukraine has a long history of rampant corruption and unstable governance. Ukraine ranked 122 out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2021 corruption investigation report.
The European Union gave Ukraine candidate status last year and listed anti-corruption reforms as one of its key requirements for full membership.
“This week will be the time for the appropriate decision … the decision is ready. I don’t want to make it public at this time, but it’s all fair,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky was elected in a landslide in the 2019 election on a promise to change the way the former Soviet country is governed. He said the resignation of a deputy minister had been accepted following an investigation into allegations of bribery.
Zelensky did not identify the official. But Vasyl Lozinskiy, acting deputy minister of regional development, was detained on suspicion of accepting bribes, according to media reports.
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has also renewed focus on corruption. One newspaper reported that the military allegedly purchased food for soldiers at inflated prices.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine emphasized that the relevant products were purchased in accordance with the procedures stipulated by law, and considered this to be a “false and misleading” report. But Congress has been asked to investigate.
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