Political reorganization in Ukraine.
As I write this headline, 11 officials have resigned or been fired in Kyiv’s attempt to crack down on government corruption.
This has prompted some politicians in the United States to call for restricting aid packages to Ukraine.
President Volodimir Zelenky is trying to restore public confidence quickly, even though the allegations are serious and the timing is wrong.
The wave of resignations affects senior positions such as a presidential adviser, the deputy defense minister and the deputy attorney general.
luxury cars and mansions
Many of the allegations have surfaced thanks to Mykhaylo Tkachinvestigative journalist for the news site Ukrayinska Pravda.
Tkach recently reported that a top official’s personal trainer company has allegedly received millions of dollars since the start of the Russian invasion. He also published a story involving Zelensky’s deputy chief of the presidential cabinet, Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
Tymoshenko resigned two months after Tkach reported that the official had moved his family into the mansion of a well-known real estate developer.
In addition, the reporter revealed images that appear to show Tymoshenko driving an expensive Porsche car for months.
The official denies having committed irregularities.
“Parliamentarians and civil servants often register their assets on behalf of those close to them if the source of their money is not clear,” explains Tkach.
“There are signs of a lack of transparency at a time when every step taken by officials has to be clear to society,” says the reporter.
Tkach acknowledges that there is corruption in many countries. That is why he believes that the reactions to these cases is the most important thing.
“A Necessary Action”
From her bakery in Vorzel, near Kyiv, Ivanna is unhappy that her government is accused of overpaying unknown firms, that a minister accepts alleged $372,000 bribes and that an official has such expensive taste in cars.
“I don’t like it,” she says as her husband Vyacheslav kneads dough in the back room. “It would be better if that money was used for the good of Ukraine“.
“We need to replace all those politicians who have been there for many years. They have settled in.”
For Ukraine, receiving billions of dollars in military, financial and humanitarian aid entails accountability and scrutiny.
It also increases the chances of money ending up in the wrong hands.
“We talked about the survival of Ukraine. It is not just any year for our country. I think that this wave of resignations, initiated by the president, is an important recognition and a necessary action”, says Tkach.
endemic problem
Since Ukraine declared its independence 31 years ago, corruption has plagued its politics and public services.
In 2014, a popular revolution overthrew the last pro-Moscow government because the people finally wanted to live in democracy.
Since then, Ukraine has embarked on a series of reforms, motivated above all by Russia’s aggressive campaign against the country. The change is seen as essential to ensure continued support from the West.
Several anti-corruption agencies were installed, new government spending systems, a new police force. Politicians were forced to reveal their wealth, sometimes with startling revelations.
“We wanted results,” says Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, an MP and deputy head of parliament’s anti-corruption committee.
“Yes, we are left with traces of corruption from the past, but at least now we are not silent. The next step will be prevention.
Yurchyshyn thinks there is no better time to expose ministerial wrongdoing, even risking aid from the West.
“The Western allies understand that we have two wars. The first against Russia and then our internal war for the future of Ukraine”.
Before the full-scale invasion of Russia in February 2022, allies like the European Union and the United States were not satisfied with the pace with which Kyiv was fighting corruption.
The political damage that the 2023 allegations may do to Zelensky is still unclear. So far, his reaction has been described as “swift and decisive” by the United States.
While waiting for more allegations to come to light, Zelensky is confident other allies feel the same way.
Additional report of Hanna Chornous Y Siobhan Leahy.
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