In the midst of negotiations over the arrival of German and U.S. tanks, Ukraine announced a series of dismissals and resignations in some of the most important government positions this week. The decisions are linked to allegations of corruption.
This is the most significant reorganization within the Ukrainian state since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. In fact, several of the governors of the provinces occupied and most affected by the war were dismissed. For example, Kiev, Kherson, Zaporizhia, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk will have new leaders.
Also, several members of Volodymyr Zelensky's team will be replaced, such as the deputy defense minister, a deputy prosecutor, deputy ministers working on regional development and even the deputy head of the presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
⚡️ Zelensky's deputy chief of staff Tymoshenko resigns.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree dismissing Deputy Head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) January 24, 2023
Tymoshenko was one of Zelensky's right-hand men, and was key in putting together the presidential campaign that brought him to power in 2019. In recent months, he has been linked to the embezzlement of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid funds.
"There are already personnel decisions, some today, some tomorrow, regarding officials at various levels in ministries and other structures of the central government," the president said in a video posted on his web page on Tuesday.
Other allegations involve large amounts of money allegedly set aside to feed troops in the battlefield, which has Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov in the crosshairs. On the other hand, last Sunday, two days before the widespread announcements, the Vice Minister of Infrastructure was arrested after being accused of diverting close to $400,000 to buy electric generators.
