Multiple military and political officials in Ukraine, reportedly including a lawmaker from President Zelensky’s party, have been accused of corruption schemes to steal money intended for the war effort and bribery.
Just weeks after thousands took to the streets of Kyiv to protest against the loosening of anti-corruption standards, forcing the Zelensky government to backtrack immediately, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said that four people have been arrested on suspicion of corruption.
According to a report from Ukrainska Pravda, this included Member of Parliament Oleksii Kuznetsov of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party. The news outlet went on to claim that the other officials included former Luhansk governor Serhii Haidai, head of Luhansk Oblast’s Rubizhne district Andrii Yurchenko, and an official from Ukraine’s National Guard.
In a statement, the NABU said that the officials established a scheme to fraudulently overcharge on defence spending, including on electronic warfare systems and on military drones, by upwards of 30 per cent.
“After the contract was executed, the company’s officials handed over their ‘kickback’ to the members of the criminal group,” the agency said.
Hellbound and Down 