Zelensky after the corruption raid: – We will not let anyone weaken our state

Luxury watches, luxury clothes, cars and stacks of banknotes. The Ukrainian Security Service seriously took up the fight against the country’s “internal enemy”.

Recently, a number of high-ranking Ukrainian leaders have been dismissed or left their posts Corruption charges. On Wednesday, the authorities’ “anti-corruption” campaign continued:

The acting head of Kyiv’s tax authorities has been charged with multi-million dollar fraud after one of its four homes was raided.

The result: the discovery of expensive jewelry, fancy clothes and watches, and stacks of banknotes equivalent to NOK 1.7 million.

Investigators believe the woman’s lifestyle does not match her stated income, write Watchman. In addition, she is accused of abusing her position to cut taxes on certain individuals and companies.

“Any criminal who is daring enough to harm Ukraine, especially in times of war, should fully understand that we are going to put handcuffs on his hands,” says the head of Ukraine’s Security Agency, SBU, Vasyl Malyuk, according to the CNN.

Did you get this? Commentary: In a fight against an inner enemy

Discover the theft of billions of dollars

On the same day, several bosses at the customs agency were also dismissed. At the same time, the home of one of the country’s richest people – and a former ally of Zelensky – was searched on suspicion of customs evasion.

The same thing happened with a former interior minister.

According to a statement from the Security Service, embezzlement of more than $1 billion in Ukraine’s largest oil and refining companies was also revealed. The statement was republished by the Reuters news agency.

– We will not let anyone weaken our state. I thank all the police officers who showed the strength of the law and the state today, writes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening message to the people on Wednesday.

– Unfortunately, in some areas the only way to ensure legitimacy is to change the leadership in addition to introducing institutional changes. Changes that do what is needed so people don’t get dirty, the president writes.

Several of them launched last week

In the past week, several senior managers have received They were either fired or resigned from their posts. Among them are a number of governors, deputy ministers and various civil servants. One of them was the deputy chief of staff in the office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, who in the local media had to endure questions about what they call his “luxury lifestyle.”

The New York Times referred to it as the biggest change in Ukrainian leadership since the beginning of the war.

Two investigations were made of war profits. cases which is being investigated It is, among other things, about accusations of buying military rations and electricity generators at inflated prices, he wrote Politico.

The National Assembly also recently tightened regulations on public procurement after Ukrainian media reported that the Defense Ministry overpaid for food to soldiers.