(TotalConservative.com) – Six Ukrainian officials have been fired by the Zelenskyy government after a corruption probe expanded in the wake of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov being fired after he was exposed in a corruption scandal in early September. A number of defense ministers and state secretaries in the defense ministry were let go, according to Cabinet of Ministers representative Tara Melnychuk.
The government failed to provide specific details about their firings, but the military has been heavily scrutinized for taking illicit cuts of funds or otherwise personally profiting off the war outside of legally approved channels. A number of firings have already occurred.
This is unsurprising to most who have followed Ukrainian politics; the country is infamously one of the most corrupt around the world. The New York Times was forced to admit as much in 2018 despite the publication’s history of encouraging the conflict. Early this year, Zelenskyy fired another cohort of officials who were profiting from the conflict.
The exposure couldn’t come at a worse time for the Ukrainian administration. Heavy fighting in the southeast of the country continues with artillery and drone attacks injuring civilians. Missile attacks have also escalated with Ukraine claiming to have shot down Russian hardware.
Ukrainians themselves are holding President Zelenskyy responsible for the corruption. A whopping 78% of those polled in July said he was “directly responsible.” Zelenskyy also fired every official in charge of a regional military recruiting center, suggesting they were taking bribes from folks trying to avoid fighting in the conflict.
Reznikov isn’t facing criminal charges or direct allegations of corruption himself as yet, though he is also largely blamed for this fiasco as it occurred directly under his supervision. Zelenskyy was largely elected for his anti-corruption stance, and much like President Donald Trump was considered a political outsider due to his history in media.
As Zelenskyy heads to New York City and Washington D.C. this week to lobby for yet another package of billions of dollars in support of the war, questions are being raised about the outcome of the conflict as well as how the money is being spent for the duration.
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