Volodymyr Zelenskiy has announced that corruption in Ukraine’s regional military recruitment centres has been terminated, following allegations of officials accepting bribes from those who wanted to avoid the frontlines.
While the Ukrainian military was seeking new soldiers, the president characterized the seizure of funds from those who wanted to avoid conscription as a form of treachery.
He stated in a video statement that the management of this system should be based on individuals who understand the meaning of war and consider bribery and cynicism as acts of treason. However, it is up to those who have gone through the frontline or are not permitted to be present because of their physical limitations to participate can be trusted with recruitment.
In the past few months, Zelenskiy, who was elected in 2019 with a commitment to eliminating corruption, has been working to dispel these practices both personally and publicly.
He removed Vasyl Lozynsky, a minister accused of embezzlement, from his position in January, and some of his closest associates left the government.
He condemned the “revolting practices” of certain military recruitment personnel after an official in Odesa, Georgia was found to have obtained $5m in savings and a property in Spain for unknown reasons.
112 criminal proceedings have been initiated against officials of military enlistment offices, with evidence revealed by Zelenskiy that some individuals took cash and cryptocurrency.
He stated that cynicism is present in all areas, including illicit enrichment, legalization of illegally obtained funds, unlawful benefit, and illegal transfer of military personnel overseas.
Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, has been instructed by Zelenskiy to recruit new leaders for territorial recruitment centres, with potential candidates being subjected to security service screening.
According to Zelenskiy, it is fair and complete for all military commissars who are under criminal investigation to be held fully responsible. Those officials who have been dismissed with shoulder straps and no proof of wrongdoing should take them to the front office to prove their worthiness.
Zelenskiy did not address a separate case of suspected corruption linked to the ministry of defence in the Ukrainian media.
ZN.ua, an investigative news website, has reported that the ministry of defence paid too much for a summer camouflage kit purchased from Turkey as winter coats for soldiers.
According to reports, a total of 4,900 jackets were purchased for $421,000.
The difference between the two prices was reportedly still being maintained by the Turkish company that supplied the goods owned by a Ukrainian resident in southern Zaporizhzhia.
The ministry of defence has refuted allegations of paying too much for the clothing.
In June, Ukraine’s security services launched an investigation into the purchase of low-quality winter clothing from abroad. Vyacheslav Shapovalov and Bohdan Khmelnytskyi were investigated for their involvement in this matter. Both men denied any wrongdoing.
As Russia advances eastward in the north-east of Kharkiv region, corruption scandals have surfaced and Ukrainian forces are facing mounting pressure.
The Russian defence ministry reported on Telegram that 20 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in attacks in the Kherson oblast in southern regions.
The office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general reported that an eight-year-old child was killed when a Russian missile hit e huv in Ivano-Frankivsk, about 60 miles from the Polish border. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported another drone strike in Beryslav city in Kherson oblast, killing two civilians, namely ten children and teen girls.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the regional governor, reported on Telegram that a high-rise building in Kherson was shelled earlier on Friday. He is believed to have killed at least one man, who is 53 years old.
The air defence systems of Kyiv were attacked by Russian ballistic missiles on Friday, causing four massive explosions to wake residents.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of the city, reported on Telegram that there were several crash sites in Kyiv’s Obolon district, as well as debris from a rocket that fell on one of its children’ hospital. The roof of evicts from their private house on Bogatyrska Street and ruins in an open area at one summer cooperative; no casualties have been reported.
More than 30,000 Russian service personnel were confirmed dead in the war in Ukraine on Friday, according to an open-source project managed by the BBC Russian and Mediazona website.
The Russian journalist team relies on publicly available data, such as online obituaries, newspaper articles, and photographs on tombstones, to identify and rank deaths by region, military unit, or age. According to Mediazona’s website, the death toll is significantly higher.
The White House announced on Friday night that it is willing to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets in the US if they are able to reach Europe for the same level of training.
Washington is eager to move forward with the training, as stated by White House spokesman John Kirby.