Zelensky dismisses officials to get support of EU and Ukrainians
2023.01.25 12:40
Zelensky dismisses officials to get support of EU and Ukrainians
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy must demonstrate to key Western partners and war-weary Ukrainians that he is serious about combating corruption and punishing misrule with the largest shakeup of Ukraine’s government since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
After a series of scandals and allegations of graft, including one involving the Defense Ministry that had sparked a public outcry despite being denied, more than a dozen officials left abruptly in recent days.
As Kyiv fights for survival and pursues a bid to join the European Union, the country’s ongoing struggle with corruption has taken on greater significance.
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has increased the country’s reliance on Western assistance, particularly in the form of military aid, and the international community has made it clear that it wants to see better governance.
Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst, stated:
“Simply put, a warning was needed, a kick… to sober up officials so that they don’t behave in a way that’s unacceptable in wartime.”
Fesenko added that the purge continued on Wednesday with the departure of five regional prosecutors. These officials included those who had been accused of graft in the past and others whose departure was unrelated.
One of the most well-known cases involved a deputy defense minister who resigned following a report that his ministry paid inflated prices to feed troops, which he denied.
A senior prosecutor, who was reported by local media to have gone on vacation to Marbella, Spain, in violation of martial law, and a presidential adviser who had been criticized by the local media for driving flashy cars both resigned.
According to Fesenko, “this is simultaneously an intensification of the fight against corruption and a response from the president… to critical articles in the media.”
Zelenskiy said in his Tuesday night address that the change was “necessary for our protection” and “helps our rapprochement with European institutions.”
He stated:
“We need a strong state, and Ukraine will be exactly that.”
Fesenko added that despite a significant Russian push around the eastern towns of Soledar and Bakhmut and a slowdown in front fighting caused in part by bad winter weather, Zelenskiy probably had time to force the changes.
A spokesperson for the European Union told a briefing on Tuesday that Brussels officials “welcome the fact that the Ukrainian authorities are taking these issues seriously,” but that additional reform work was required.
One of those responsibilities has been assigned by the European Union to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, which was established in 2015 as the principal anti-graft law enforcement agency in the country.
Zero tolerance for corruption Corruption has long plagued Ukraine, where wealth and resources quickly concentrated in a small number of people after the Soviet Union collapsed more than 30 years ago.
However, since the European Union offered Kyiv candidate member status in June, months after Russia’s invasion, fighting corruption has become more pressing. One of the requirements for the beginning of negotiations was the reform of the government and the corrupt judiciary.
According to Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, a lawmaker and the first deputy head of the parliamentary committee on anti-corruption policy, the shakeup was partly meant to show that Kyiv saw taking action against bad governance as one of the most important aspects of its integration into the West.
According to what he stated:
“Ukraine can win the war against Russia only as a member of a broad anti-Putin coalition of democratic countries that have a high demand for zero-tolerance when it comes to corruption.”
The euphoric Ukrainian people who had endured 11 months of war were clearly also a major target audience for the resignations and firings.
According to Petro Burkovskyi, a political analyst, as the war progressed, public outrage and demands for accountability would rise as a result of corruption scandals.
The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology conducted a survey this month and found that only 25% and 21% of Ukrainians trust the prosecutors and courts, respectively.
However, the same survey found that 84% of respondents in government-controlled Ukraine trusted Zelenskiy, up from 27% a year earlier.
The president, who turns 45 on Wednesday, has received widespread acclaim both domestically and internationally for his leadership during the war, and he will not want resentment toward him and his staff to undermine that authority.
The executive director of the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation think tank, Burkovskyi, stated:
“It’s very important for the authorities not to lie or cover for anyone.”
