Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed all heads of the regional offices responsible for military recruitment because of allegations of corruption. The system should be run by people “who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery in wartime are high treason,” Selensky wrote on Friday in the online service Telegram.
After a Inspection by prosecutors, anti-corruption authorities and the secret service SBU had launched 112 criminal investigations, the Ukrainian President said. There have been violations in the Donetsk, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odessa and Kiev regions, among others.
For its counter-offensive against the invading Russian forces, Kiev had recruited Ukrainians through regional military service offices across the country. The cases of corruption there “represent a threat to Ukraine’s national security and undermine trust in state institutions‘ the Ukrainian Presidency said in a separate statement.
According to the recommendation of the National Security Council, the army chief should select soldiers to fill the posts who had combat experience and were checked by the secret services the presidency announced.
The dismissal of the heads of recruitment offices highlights Ukraine’s efforts to crack down on corruption and bribery. The European Union has Anti-corruption reforms a condition made for Ukraine’s aspirations to join the EU. (AFP)
