Government
Cabinet Shuffle in Ukraine; Allegations of Profiteering off WAR funding
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#Ukraine, February 2, 2023 – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy has been forced to shuffle his Cabinet amidst corruption allegations that have caused increased scrutiny from the United States on the war-torn country’s spending.
The country’s Defense Minister is under watch and the Acting Minister for Regional Development has been arrested over allegations of war profiteering or making an excessive profit from selling weapons and other goods to forces at
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine says it is investigating not only overpriced rations for soldiers bought by the Defense Ministry but overpriced generators bought by the Infrastructure Ministry and a suspected $400,000 unlawful kickback to the Acting Minister.
In addition, the country’s Deputy Chief of staff resigned amid allegations he was using a humanitarian vehicle to go on personal visits. Ukraine has had a long history of issues with corruption, often ranking near the bottom of global transparency lists.
The overspending scandal comes just weeks after the US approved a $1.8 billion package of aid for the country and just days before they and other allies decided to send some of the most advanced tanks in the world to help them in their war against Russia.
When word of the scandal emerged, Zelensky immediately took action, by Monday night he had fired a number of high-ranking officers of State while others resigned and banned travel that was not strictly business for government officials.