War In Ukraine Why Volodymyr Zelensky Is Cleaning Up Power After A Corrupt Scandal

Volodymyr Zelensky executes a thorough sweep. After corruption allegations involving army supplies surfaced on Tuesday, January 24, a number of senior Ukrainian officials were removed from their positions.

In addition to the deputy head of administration, a total of five regional governors, four deputy ministers—including the Defense deputy minister who oversees the military's logistical support—two heads of government agencies, and one deputy minister will resign. both the president and the deputy attorney general.

Political pressures are the driving force behind this purge at the top of the government, and Kiev is hoping for more backing in its standoff with Moscow. andgt;> Follow the latest developments in the war in Ukraine in our live Franceinfo returns to three reasons that help to understand these evictions.

This wave of departures occurs as Kiev requests hundreds of contemporary tanks and other weapons to launch a new offensive, undermining Kiev's ability to keep the trust of its Western allies. The total amount of Western aid to Ukraine in 2023 may total 100 billion dollars (roughly 92 billion euros), including more than 40 billion (roughly 36 point eight billion euros) just for its armed forces, estimates the Ukrainian think tank Center for Economic Strategy ("Centre for an economic strategy").

She added that in order for the Union to continue providing macrofinancial assistance (which is expected to total 18 billion euros in 2023), "it is just, it is necessary for our protection, and part of the political conditions to be met.". The editor-in-chief of an online newspaper that specializes in the investigation of corruption cases and the use of public money, Yuri Nikolov, argued in Le Parisien (article reserved for subscribers) that "We are in the process of moving into the era of a European Ukraine.".

He asserts that after the invasion, European nations want to exert more control over how the money they send to Kiev is used: "Before the invasion, Western aid made up 2 percent of Ukraine's budget. Currently, it is somewhere between 60 and 70 percent.

The salaries of public employees, pensions, and other expenses are covered by these funds. was untarnished by scandals involving corruption that damage the reputation of the political class, as Carole Grimaud Potter, a professor of Russian geopolitics at the Universities of Montpellier and Paris' Diplomatic Institute, wrote in the columns of the French newspaper Figaro in February (article available only to subscribers).

Nearly a year after the war started, Volodymyr Zelensky still enjoys a very high level of support among Ukrainians. He is aware, however, that his fellow citizens, who have already been put to the test by the conflict, are counting on him.

"Zelensky's choices reflect the state's top priorities, according to his decisions. (..) The company is visible and audible to the president.

After the dismissals were announced, a presidential adviser posted on Twitter that the president was directly responding to the public's top demand for justice for all. According to a report in Le Monde, Petro Oleschuk, a researcher at the taras-shevchenko national university in Kiev, believes that if these dismissals are a sign of progress, they come "clearly late.".

The Zaporizhia region experienced a previous scandal in September 2022, when it was alleged that officials with the regional administration had embezzled more than 7 million dollars (6.44 billion euros). According to the researcher quoted in the daily, "the region's leader had not been removed from office.".

To increase Ukraine's credibilityThe first scandal of this size since the start of the Russian invasion is shattering Ukrainian authority. On the corruption perception index published by the NGO Transparency International in 2021, Ukraine was ranked 122 out of 180 countries, indicating that corruption is not a recent problem in the nation.

Decisions made on Tuesday night that were "necessary" to reestablish "a strong state" were defended by Volodymyr Zelensky. In the future, he predicted that "all the internal issues that prevent the state from strengthening itself are being resolved and will be even more so.".

"We believe that Volodymyr Zelensky is turning a new page, as demonstrated by the large number of resignations. As of now, the president's office was aware of business, but those in positions of authority tended to turn a blind eye, as Youri Nikolov emphasizes in Le Parisien.

In remarks at the European Parliament on Tuesday, Oleksandr Kornienko, the vice president of the Ukrainian parliament, recalled that his nation had already made efforts: "We have established the best anti-corruption system in Europe with the assistance of international experts. At the same time, it is robust, independent, and strong.

To combat the gray economy, though, it does not seem that this is sufficient. He committed to going "further" and establishing a project for declarations of interests "for the 500 to 1,000 most significant figures of the Ukrainian state.

This project, which was put on hold when the conflict started, will be voted on, he assured them. to establish a project of declaration of interests "for the 500 to 1,000 most significant figures of the Ukrainian state" and to go "further.".

This project, which was put on hold when the conflict started, will be voted on, he assured them. to establish a project of declaration of interests "for the 500 to 1,000 most significant figures of the Ukrainian state" and to go "further.".

This project, which was put on hold when the conflict started, will be voted on, he assured them.

was untarnished by scandals involving corruption that damage the reputation of the political class, as Carole Grimaud Potter, a professor of Russian geopolitics at the Universities of Montpellier and Paris' Diplomatic Institute, wrote in the columns of the French newspaper Figaro in February (article available only to subscribers).