Ukraine corrupt bureaucrat expelled, US tank supply approval ‘exchange’

The corruption scandal of Ukrainian officials and the supply of American tanks are being approved for 'crossing' on the 24th.

Regarding corrupt officials in Zelensky's government, "officials from many countries, including the United States, have demanded greater accountability for aid given Ukraine's rampant corruption," he said. lost his job in a corruption scandal as he grappled with an 11-month-old invasion of Russia,” the Associated Press reported.

"We welcome the swift action that President Zelensky is taking in this case and the effective action of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies, civil society and media," the White House National Security Council said in a statement on the 24th.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to address parliament next week, and some in parliament are pressuring the government to join the allies in providing tanks.

Ukraine's biggest government shake-up since the war came when US officials said on Monday that Washington was ready to authorize the supply of M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv, reducing international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefield against Russia. Yes, the AP revealed the relevance.

The 24th resignation came after Deputy Director Kyrylo Tymoshenko, who has been a strong advocate for battlefield updates and military aid in Zelensky's presidential office, said the resignation was "implantable, including some related to military spending that could slow Ukraine's efforts to join the European Union and NATO." Contrary to what he had been saying, "I will resolve the charges," he requested to be relieved of his duties on this day, and did not mention the reason.

Ukrainian media reported that Deputy Minister of Defense Vyacheslav Shapovalov also resigned over a scandal involving food purchases by the Ukrainian army. It was reported that Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Simonenko also resigned.

Four deputy ministers and five provincial governors of the Zelensky administration will resign, the cabinet secretary said on the Telegram messaging app that day, and the Wall Street Journal reported on the same day that "the United States is turning to support Abrams M1 tanks in Ukraine." It was reported on the 24th, citing officials. The U.S. government's turn to support M1 tanks in Ukraine seems to be a pre-stop operation to get Germany to agree to support Leopard 2 tanks under the terms of 'US tanks first'.

In a video address on the 24th, President Zelensky said, "All internal matters that hinder the state are being sorted out and will be sorted out. It is fair and necessary for our defense and conducive to reconciliation with European institutions." This suggested that it was linked to additional support for weapons from the West.

The president's aide at the heart of corruption, Tymoshenko, joined the presidential office in 2019 as Zelensky's head of media strategy during the election campaign as a comedian won the presidency.

Tymoshenko was one of the officials involved in the embezzlement of more than $7 million in humanitarian aid earmarked for the southern Zaporizhzhia region in September last year, which was investigated in connection with the personal use of a luxury car, the Associated Press reported.

On the 22nd, Vasyl Lozynsky, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure in Zelensky's administration, was fired for participating in a network of embezzlement of budget funds.

Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said Ukraine's anti-corruption agency had taken a deputy minister into custody for a $400,000 bribe for helping him fix contracts to restore facilities damaged by Russian missile attacks.

He was placed under house arrest, ordered to surrender his passport, ordered to wear a surveillance device, and told not to communicate with witnesses.

Pesenko, who heads the Kyiv-based Pentacenter independent think tank, told the Associated Press that Ukrainian authorities and Western officials "can't turn a blind eye to the latest scandal". "It is to appease our partners and show Brussels and Washington that their aid is being used effectively."

Transparency International ranked Ukraine 122 out of 180 countries in its 2021 Global Corruption Report.

“Landmarked corruption has made foreign investors and governments wary of doing business with Ukraine,” the Associated Press said. “Despite the proliferation of anti-corruption panels and measures, the U.S. Department of State’s 2020 State Report found that Ukrainian journalists and non-profit organizations had high-level government, courts and business interests in Ukraine. Allegations of corruption persisted under the Zelensky regime.”

"A major corruption scandal could jeopardize tens of billions of dollars that the United States and its allies are pouring into Ukraine to arm Ukraine's fighter jets, pay salaries and keep lights on," the Associated Press said. There is a risk of sinking enemy public and political support.”

Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said of the reorganization that "the authorities plan to continue fighting corruption in Ukraine, especially during war, when literally everything in the country is lacking. It's just to remind people," he told the AP.