KIEV — Scores of senior officials were sacked on Tuesday in political shifts in Ukraine’s biggest war yet, and Kyiv said President Volodymyr Zelensky showed he was in harmony with his people following allegations of corruption. .
With Russia’s aggression making Kyiv highly dependent on Western support and aiming to join the European Union, Ukraine’s long-running fight against corruption is of paramount importance.
Democratic and Republican U.S. lawmakers praised Kyiv for taking swift action against corruption and urged continued U.S. military and humanitarian support to the government.
Days after the deputy minister’s arrest on suspicion of corruption and allegations that were denied by the Ministry of Defense and sparked protests, the removal of a dozen senior officials took place.
“The president sees and hears society. And he directly responds to an important public demand – demanding justice for all,” Zelensky’s senior adviser Mikhaylo Podoljak wrote on Twitter. .
Retiring officials include five regional governors, four deputy ministers, and senior presidential officials believed to be close to Zelensky.
Some of the announcements appeared to be related to accusations of corruption, while others were completely unrelated.
Zelensky’s office said it had accepted the resignation of deputy director Kirilo Tymoshenko, 33. he didn’t give a reason.
Tymoshenko worked on Zelensky’s election campaign and has been in his post since 2019, overseeing regional and regional policy. He had been criticized by local media for driving a flashy car during the invasion, but he denied any wrongdoing and said he had rented a car.
Zelensky later announced that he would appoint Kyiv Governor Oleksiy Kleva to replace Tymoshenko.
The reforms were all the more impressive in the domestic political freeze that had continued throughout the war, as political rivalries were largely set aside.
“Deeds of Value”
Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov has offered to resign after local media reported that the Ministry of Defense paid inflated prices for food supplies.
The ministry said the allegations were unfounded, but Shapovalov’s resignation, who was in charge of military supplies, was a “worthy act” that would help maintain confidence in the ministry.
Amid the turmoil, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told a cabinet meeting that Ukraine was advancing an anti-corruption campaign. “This is a systematic and continuous work that is so necessary for Ukraine and an integral part of its integration with the EU,” he said.
Late Tuesday, Zelensky announced a decree finalizing the dismissal of the governors of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Sumy and Kherson provinces.
Deputy Attorney General Oleksiy Simonenko, accused in local media of vacationing with his family in Marbella, Spain, has been dismissed from his post. Simonenko has not publicly commented.
Zelensky said Monday that officials can no longer travel abroad for purposes unrelated to government work.
Olena Harmash and Tom Baumforth
