President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky remembers the victims of the helicopter crash during a farewell ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, January 21, 2023.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
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Efrem Lukatsky/AP
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky remembers the victims of the helicopter crash during a farewell ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, January 21, 2023.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
Kyiv, Ukraine — A series of resignations, firings and reassignments rocked the Ukrainian government on Monday and Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and other government leaders confirmed reshuffles of top officials.
Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov submitted a handwritten letter of resignation a day after news reports accused his office of corruption. The report accuses Shapovalov of using ministry funds to buy food and winter tactical clothing at higher than market prices, which Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov opposes.
“Although the accusations are baseless and baseless, Vyacheslav Shapovalov’s request for resignation shows that, in accordance with the tradition of European and democratic politics, the interests of defense are higher than any ministerial position. “, Reznikov wrote in the order confirming his resignation.
In addition, on Monday evening, Zelensky’s top aide Kyrylo Tymoshenko also submitted a handwritten letter of resignation to the president. Zelensky confirmed Tymoshenko’s dismissal on Tuesday morning.
As the war raged, Tymoshenko formed a group of young Zelenskyi advisers who gained celebrity status in Ukraine, frequently posting on social media and making upbeat television appearances. Tymoshenko has been the government’s main coordinator for infrastructure reconstruction and managing civilian humanitarian efforts since Russia stepped up airstrikes on Ukraine’s utility lines in October.
Ms Tymoshenko’s resignation comes days after another prominent Zelenskyi adviser, Aleksei Arestovich, resigned for spreading false information about who was responsible for the Jan. 14 airstrike on a building in the city of Dnipro that killed 46 civilians.
In a speech on Monday night, Zelensky said, “We have already made personnel decisions – some today, some tomorrow – with respect to government officials at various levels in ministries and other central government agencies, regions and the law enforcement system.”
It also banned Ukrainian officials from leaving the country after social media showed Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Simonenko vacationing in Spain. According to the military situation in Ukraine, men of military age cannot leave Ukraine without express permission. Simonenko’s superiors confirmed his dismissal on Tuesday morning.
The series of dismissals comes as allegations of wartime abuses mount in Ukraine, rekindling pre-war concerns about corruption in the country. On Monday, the Vice Minister of Infrastructure lost his job after being arrested for corruption.
The former Minister of Economy of Ukraine Tymofiy Mylovanov said that Ukraine has taken important steps to fight corruption. Inside TwitterAccording to Mylovanov, recent corruption scandals were “episodic” rather than “systematic”, according to European officials.
But Darya Kaleniuk, director of the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Action Center, said Ukraine’s commitment to transparency should extend to the entire government, despite the current martial law system.
“I want to thank the law enforcement agencies that protect the law, the interests of the state, and ensure justice! I thank the journalists who investigated all the facts and created a complete picture!” Zelensky said on Sunday after the scandals began to emerge.
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