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☆ Ukraine suspects lawmaker of first-ever cryptocurrency bribe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Ukrainian investigators suspect a lawmaker of trying to bribe the head of a government reconstruction agency in the country's first-ever documented cryptocurrency kickback, authorities said on Tuesday. The bureau did not name the official, who was served by prosecutors with an official notice of suspicion. The head of Ukraine's State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development reported the bribe to authorities after receiving the first $10,000 tranche, NABU said. "This is the first illegal benefit in cryptocurrency in the history of (Ukraine's) anti-corruption institutions that has been documented," the agency said in a statement. In a statement on Facebook, the state reconstruction agency said zero tolerance of graft was "a key principle" of its work.

Persons: NABU, Semen Kryvonos, Dan Peleschuk, Nick Macfie Organizations: Ukraine's State Agency for Restoration, Infrastructure Development, European Union, Reuters, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, bitcoin, cryptocurrency

[1/6] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with President of the European Council Charles Michel, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 21, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Council chief Charles Michel warned on Tuesday that a European Union meeting next month to decide whether to begin formal accession talks for Kyiv would be difficult. I think this is the decision which will help Ukraine to believe that there is justice...," Zelenskiy told reporters. "All these are big challenges for everyone and already not only for Ukraine, but a challenge for preserving the unity of the European Union," he said. "It will be a difficult meeting but I do not intend to give up," Michel said, adding that the world needed a strong European Union to ensure stability and prosperity.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Charles Michel, Michel, Maia Sandu, Zelenskiy, Michel's, Sandu, Boris Pistorius, Tom Balmforth, Yuliia Dysa, Dan Peleschuk, Alexandra Hudson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: European, Presidential Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Union, Zelenskiy, Moldovan, European Union, Kyiv, ACT AS ONE, EU, German, IRIS, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Moldova, Russia, Moscow, Soviet Moldova, Brussels, Soviet Moscow, Crimea

☆ The Ukrainian draft dodgers who don't want to go to war against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ukrainian men cannot leave the country under martial law and face being drafted into war service. He told Insider he's desperate to leave Ukraine to escape being drafted and had already attempted one escape. Bohdan's unit suffered significant casualties while stationed near Svatove and the Serebryansky forest, he told Insider, and he was one of the few who survived without injuries. "Young men at a checkpoint near the border told me not to bother trying," Artem told Insider. 80,000 Ukrainian men have crossed over to PolandA Ukrainian soldier who lost her leg in the fighting near Kherson.

Persons: —, Artem, Bohdan, didn't, he's, — it's, hasn't, Ukrainska, Anna Michalska, Odesa, Borysov, Costa, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mytkalyk, Bolhan, Euronews Organizations: Service, National Guard of, AP, Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainska Pravda, The New York Times, Armed Forces, Poland's Border Guard, Polish Border Guard, Kyiv Post, Business, New York Times, The, Kyiv Independent, Times, Getty, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, National Guard of Ukraine, Svatove, Bohdan, Romania, Belgium, Hungary, Montenegro, Moldova, Poland, Ukrainian, Kherson, Verkhovna, Ukraine's, Polish, Marbella, Costa del Sol, London, Russia, Warsaw

According to Maiboroda, Mykytas used Tatarov for difficult tasks, including bribe payments on behalf of Ukrbud Development. "He knew about law enforcement and warned us to be careful about saying almost anything on the phone," Maiboroda told Reuters. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said experts would need to study the material to verify it. "The main thing is that a person is honest," Zelenskiy told reporters several days after Tatarov's appointment. Zelenskiy told Ukrainian television network ICTV in October 2021 that the offshore arrangement was to protect his TV production business from political pressure by the Yanukovych government.

Persons: Oleh Maiboroda, Maiboroda, Oleh Tatarov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Tatarov, Maiboroda's, Ukraine's, Zelenskiy, Kyiv pollsters, Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, Daria Kaleniuk, Nicola Mirto, Mirto, Viktor Yanukovych, Yanukovich's, Maxym Mykytas, Mykytas, Maiborada, NABU, Yanukovych, –, General Iryna Venediktova, Artem Sytnyk, Sytnyk, didn't, Oleksiy Symonenko, Symonenko, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Denys, Dmytro Shtanko, Liudmyla, Sergey Shefir, Shefir, Vyacheslav Shapovalov, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Zheleznyak, Zelensky, Ihor, Kolomoisky, Semen Kryvonos, Kaleniuk, ”, Stephen Grey, Dan Peleschuk, Janet McBride Organizations: Reuters, Ukrbud, Prosecutors, Ukraine's, European Union, International Monetary Fund, Kyiv, Kyiv Independent, Tatarov, Ministry, Interior Ministry, Virgin Islands, ICTV, National Agency for, Ministry of Defence, Kiel Institute, NATO, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, KYIV, Vienna, Ukraine, Tatarov, Russia, Europe, European, Kyiv, Italian, Ukrainian, Soviet Ukraine, Zelenskiy's, Switzerland, Spain, Soviet, United States, Irpin

"Unless Zelenskiy gets rid of Tatarov, he won't be seen as serious in purging the country of corruption," she told Reuters. "He knew about law enforcement and warned us to be careful about saying almost anything on the phone," Maiboroda told Reuters. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said experts would need to study the material to verify it. "The main thing is that a person is honest," Zelenskiy told reporters several days after Tatarov's appointment. Zelenskiy told Ukrainian television network ICTV in October 2021 that the offshore arrangement was to protect his TV production business from political pressure by the Yanukovych government.

☆ New allegation against detained Ukrainian magnate Kolomoisky, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ihor Kolomoisky, a Ukrainian business tycoon and one of Ukraine's most prominent billionaires, arrives at court in Kyiv, September 2, 2023. REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 14 (Reuters) - Detained Ukrainian business magnate Ihor Kolomoisky, already facing fraud charges, has been served with notice of a third set of allegations, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday. Leshchenko said the new allegations resulted from an investigation by Ukraine's Bureau of Economic Security. They included forging documents, illegal takeovers of property by an organised group and property acquisition in questionable circumstances. Kolomoisky is among the tycoons who built their fortunes in the ashes of the Soviet Union and amassed political power in Ukraine's fragile democracy.

Persons: Ihor, Vladyslav, Ihor Kolomoisky, Serhiy Leshchenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Kolomoisky, Leshchenko, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Ukraine's Bureau of Economic Security, of Economic Security, National, European Union, Soviet Union, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Kyiv, Privatbank, Ukraine, PrivatBank, Soviet, U.S

☆ Ukraine security agency confirms new allegations against magnate Kolomoisky
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian business tycoon and one of Ukraine's most prominent billionaires Ihor Kolomoisky appears at a court session about a preventive measure against him, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv September 2, 2023. REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Ukrainian business magnate Ihor Kolomoisky has been served with notice of a third set of allegations following his detention on suspicion of fraud and money laundering, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Friday. Kolomoisky is suspected of having set up an organised group, which comprised employees of the bank, to obtain the funds from 2013 to 2014, it said. Reuters could not immediately reach Kolomoisky or his lawyers for comment on the new allegations. Zelenskiy is trying to root our corruption and restrict the influence of business magnates as Ukraine strives for membership of the European Union.

Persons: Ihor Kolomoisky, Vladyslav, Serhiy Leshchenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Kolomoisky, Zelenskiy, Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Heritage, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Security Service of Ukraine, Ukraine's Economic Security Bureau, Reuters, Soviet Union, National, European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Soviet, U.S, Kolomoisky, Ukrainian, PrivatBank

☆ Seven Charged in Polish Visa Irregularity Probe - Prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Seven people have been charged over alleged irregularities in the granting of Polish work visas, a prosecutor said on Wednesday, amid a deepening scandal on the hot-button subject of migration ahead of Oct. 15 elections. On Wednesday opposition lawmakers said knowledge about the irregularities was widespread in government, stretching as far as Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau. The opposition has said the irregularities could concern hundreds of thousands of visa applications, but prosecutors have said that their investigation concerns several hundred. Deputy coordinator of special services Stanislaw Zaryn said that none of the visa applicants concerned by the investigation posed a security threat to Poland. According to Eurostat data cited by Rzeczpospolita daily on Wednesday, Poland issued almost 2 million work visas over the past three years, including 600,000 in 2020, more than a quarter of the EU total that year.

Persons: Daniel Lerman, Piotr Wawrzyk, Wawrzyk, Lerman, Zbigniew Rau, PiS, Rafal Bochenek, Stanislaw Zaryn, Alan Charlish, William Maclean Organizations: Law and Justice, Department for, National Prosecutor's, Corruption Bureau, Union, Rzeczpospolita, EU Locations: WARSAW, Poland

☆ Ukraine freezes $80 million of tycoon Kolomoisky's assets, media report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO-Ukrainian business tycoon and one of Ukraine's most prominent billionaires Ihor Kolomoisky arrives at court, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv September 2, 2023. REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies on Friday froze more than $80 million in assets belonging to tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky for 48 hours as part of an embezzlement investigation, Ukrainian media outlets reported. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said it had frozen more than 3 billion hryvnia in assets in addition to nearly 1,000 properties and more than 1,600 vehicles and vessels from the former owner of lender PrivatBank. Kolomoisky is a former owner of PrivatBank, which was nationalised in late 2016 as part of a clean-up of the Ukrainian banking system. Ukrainian officials have also said that "de-oligarchisation" is an important step to building a stronger state after the war with Russia.

Persons: Ihor Kolomoisky, Vladyslav, Kolomoisky, NABU, Yuliia Dysa, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Heritage, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Soviet Union, European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Soviet, Russia

☆ Ukraine's anti-graft police zero in on major wartime corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) speaks with Reuters, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 18, 2023. But now, according to Kyiv's top anti-graft cop, it's a matter of sheer survival as the country battles against Russia's invasion. "Corruption is no longer seen as a just a crime, but as a crime against national security," said Semen Kryvonos, head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). A bigger staff of 300 detectives, compared to the current level of nearly 250, would allow for a new unit dedicated solely to reconstruction-related crimes and to strengthen an existing one probing defence-related corruption, Kryvonos added. A Transparency-commissioned opinion poll in June found that at least 77% of Ukrainians believe corruption is currently among Ukraine's main problems.

Persons: Semen Kryvonos, NABU, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kryvonos, Zelenskiy, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Reuters, Bureau Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Russia, Supreme, Ukraine, European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Brussels

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed all officials in charge of regional military recruitment centers amid a widespread corruption scandal. A scandal linked to the procurement of war-time supplies had already led to Zelensky firing a slew of senior Ukrainian officials at the start of the year, and prompted Ukraine’s deputy defense minister Viacheslav Shapovalov to resign after allegations of corruption surfaced in the media. “I have just held a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council,” he said in a video clip. “One key issue is the results of the inspection of military registration and enlistment offices. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau said it was investigating “high-profile media reports” into allegations that Ukraine’s defense ministry was buying military provisions, including food for the troops, at inflated prices.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Viacheslav Shapovalov, Zelensky, “, ”, ” Zelensky, Oleksii Symonenko, Ivan Lukerya, Nehoda, Vitalii Organizations: CNN, National Security and Defense Council, “, Corruption

☆ Singapore anti-graft agency probes transport minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Chen Lin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, July 12 (Reuters) - Singapore's anti-graft agency has launched an investigation into a case involving the city-state's transport minister, a rare high-level probe in a country that prides itself on a government free from corruption. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said it was interviewing the minister, S Iswaran, who was "assisting" in a case, but did not provide further details. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday said he had "instructed Minister Iswaran to take leave of absence until these investigations are completed". The 61-year-old joined Lee's cabinet as a junior minister in 2006 and held the trade and communications portfolios before becoming transport minister in May 2021. Graft investigations involving ministers are rare in Singapore, where civil servants are paid handsomely to discourage corruption.

Persons: S Iswaran, Lee Hsien Loong, Iswaran, Lee, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore

☆ Ukraine meets 2 of 7 conditions to launch EU membership talks -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But the EU set seven conditions - including on judicial reform and curbing endemic corruption - to launch accession negotiations. Two senior EU officials who were briefed on the report, which has not been made public, said Ukraine has met two of the criteria by now. The 27 member countries have the final say on whether and when to open membership talks with Kyiv. To qualify, Ukraine would have to align its laws with many extensive EU standards ranging from climate to labour. In practice, Ukraine's road to membership is bound to take years, and few believe the country can join while at war with Russia.

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: EU, Ukraine, Kyiv's, Kyiv, Constitutional, Corruption, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv's Soviet, Brussels, Stockholm, Poland, Baltic, France, Germany, Netherlands

The Additional Chief Secretary, G. Anupama, said in a text message, "Enquiry is underway" and directed Reuters to the health minister for Haryana state, Anil Vij, for further details. Its chief minister and health minister, to whom Yashpal also sent his complaint, did not respond to requests for comment. Naresh Kumar Goyal, the founder of Maiden Pharmaceuticals, told Reuters in December his company did nothing wrong in the production of the cough syrup. The bribery allegation was one of about half a dozen claims of corruption by Yashpal against Taneja in the letter. Yashpal told Reuters he did not comply, because he did not feel comfortable bringing such details to the deputy of someone he had accused of corruption.

Persons: Sagnia, Edward McAllister, Yashpal, Manmohan Taneja, Taneja, Maiden, Yashpal –, –, Shatrujeet Kapur, Kapur, Anupama, Anil Vij, Vij, Naresh Kumar Goyal, Goyal, Narendra Modi, Taneja's, Lalit Kumar Goel, Goel, Krishna N, Jennifer Rigby, Sara Ledwith, Michele Gershberg Organizations: REUTERS, World Health Organization, WHO, Reuters, Corruption Bureau, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, pharma, Corruption, Taneja, EG, Thomson Locations: Yundum, Gambia, DELHI, Haryana, New Delhi, Vietnam, India, London

☆ Ukraine's Supreme Court chief justice was detained on suspicion of taking a $2.7 million bribe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vsevolod Kniaziev, Ukraine's head of the Supreme Court, was detained. Kniaziev was removed from his position as head of the court on Tuesday, The Financial Times reported. Zhevago told the Financial Times that the allegations were "incorrect" and "politically motivated." The anti-corruption unit also released photos of piles of US dollars it says were found by detectives during their investigation into Supreme Court judges. Money found in an undisclosed location in Ukraine by National Anti-Corruption Bureau detectives during their investigation into a corruption case involving Supreme Court judges.

☆ Ukraine Arrests a Top Judge as Crackdown on Corruption Expands
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Carlotta Gall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The chief of Ukraine’s Supreme Court was formally arrested Thursday, as prosecutors indicated in a second day of hearings that a high-level corruption case was expanding to include a wider circle of judges. Prosecutors also accused a lawyer of acting as an intermediary in paying a bribe to the chief justice, and said that at least three other judges of the court had been found holding thousands of dollars in currency marked by investigators. The chief justice, Vsevolod Knyazev, was apprehended just after midnight Tuesday by officers of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine, who searched his home and office in simultaneous raids and said they found large sums of cash in U.S. currency. In videos of court hearings Wednesday and Thursday, posted on the High Anti-Corruption Court’s YouTube channel, Mr. Knyazev appeared in the courtroom wearing a bright blue sweater and flanked by his lawyers. The High Council of Justice Council on Thursday lifted his immunity from prosecution, opening the way for his formal arrest.

☆ Ukraine Supreme Court chief dismissed after being detained in bribery case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"At this time, the head of the Supreme Court has been detained and measures are being taken to check other individuals for involvement in criminal activity," Omelchenko told a joint briefing with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). [1/4] Money found by detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau during investigative actions in a corruption case involving judges of the Supreme Court is depicted in an unknown location in Ukraine in this handout picture released May 15, 2023. Press Service of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS 1 2 3 4An emergency Supreme Court plenary meeting hours later voted no-confidence in Kniaziev and then voted for his dismissal as head of the court. In a statement, NABU said the Supreme Court head was suspected of taking a $2.7-million bribe. The agency's chief, Semen Kryvonos, told Tuesday's briefing it was the most high-profile case involving Ukrainian agencies fighting corruption.

☆ Ukraine authorities expose piles of cash in Supreme Court corruption probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Ukrainian Supreme Court building is seen in central Kiev, Ukraine, March 5, 2016. REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoMay 15 (Reuters) - Ukrainian anti-graft authorities said on Monday they were investigating large-scale corruption in the country's Supreme Court system and shared a photograph of piles of dollars neatly lined up on a sofa. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) did not name anyone accused of corruption, but two local media organizations reported Supreme Court Chief Justice Vsevolod Kniaziev had been detained on suspicion of receiving a $3 million bribe. "NABU and SAP have exposed large-scale corruption in the Supreme Court, namely a scheme for the leadership and judges of the Supreme Court to receive bribes," the bureau said in the post. It said another 18 Supreme Court judges who heard the Ferrexpo case were now being searched.

☆ Rebuilding Ukraine depends on luring private money
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

KYIV, May 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Oleksandr Gryban is already thinking of the moment when Ukraine can build again. But the real challenge is to convince sceptical private investors both at home and abroad that Ukraine is a good destination for their cash. Investors can take solace that the team tasked with rebuilding Ukraine has proven competent and resourceful. There is a bull case for private investment in Ukraine. The other factor that might lure private capital involves Ukraine helping itself, by completing reforms initiated in the last few years.

☆ Ukraine Appoints New Anticorruption Head as It Seeks to Allay West’s Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Isabel Coles | Gordon Lubold | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, here displaying seized U.S. dollar notes before the war, was launched with FBI support. Ukraine appointed a new anticorruption chief as Kyiv seeks to show Western allies funneling billions of dollars in aid to the country that it is serious about tackling graft. The appointment of Semen Kryvonos as director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau on Monday comes at a time when the mounting costs of subsidizing Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s invasion have brought concerns around corruption back into focus.

☆ Ukraine appoints new top anti-corruption investigator
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Our team is committed to the principle of zero-tolerance to corruption and supporting anti-corruption institutions," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during an extraordinary cabinet session to confirm Kryvonos. Ukraine became a candidate to join the EU last June, four months after Russia's full-scale invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has publicly supported the effort, which officials and anti-corruption experts have said will be crucial to securing much-needed foreign aid. Ukraine ranked 116 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index. NABU launches investigations into suspected corruption and, together with the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, sends cases to the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine for prosecution.

☆ War with Russia rages as Ukraine’s government confronts an old enemy: Corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Raf Sanchez | Raf Sanchez Is A Foreign Correspondent For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

He is now one of around a dozen officials who resigned, were fired, or were put under investigation this week as Ukraine’s government confronts an old enemy: corruption. On Monday, Zelenskyy banned public officials from traveling abroad for anything other than work. “It demonstrates what President Zelenskyy has told us, that there will be zero tolerance for fraud or waste,” he said. Ukraine is currently ranked 132 out of 180 countries on a corruption index compiled by Transparency International, a good-governance nongovernmental organization. “I think that after the war, we will have a better Ukraine than we had before the war,” he said.

Ukraine's long-running struggle with graft has taken on added significance as Kyiv battles for survival while also pursuing a bid to join the European Union. But tackling graft has become more urgent since the European Union offered Kyiv candidate member status last June, months after Russia's invasion. The Ukrainian public, exhausted by 11 months of war, was also clearly a key intended audience for the sackings and resignations. But the same poll, which included nearly a thousand respondents across government-controlled Ukraine, found that 84% trusted Zelenskiy - up from 27% a year earlier. Additional reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Tom Balmforth and Mike Collett-WhiteOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Senior Ukrainian officials depart in corruption crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office quit Tuesday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to launch a staff shake-up amid high-level corruption allegations during the war with Russia. Media reports have linked at least one official departure to a scandal involving the purchase of food for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Bulent Kilic / AFP via Getty Images fileZelenskyy vowed to drive out corrupt officials in comments on Sunday, when a deputy minister was dismissed for being part of a network embezzling budget funds. Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry later identified the dismissed official as Vasyl Lozynsky, a deputy minister there. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s focus on the war would not stop his government from tackling corruption.

☆ Ukraine's parallel war on corruption to unlock door to West
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

The activity reflects a parallel war Kyiv is waging against high-level graft, according to Reuters interviews with half a dozen Ukrainian anti-corruption monitors and officials. It had been repeatedly opened and closed for two years due to procedural errors and shortcomings, SAPO prosecutors said at the time of the hold-ups. New anti-corruption cases include a probe launched in October into a former tax chief suspected of taking more than $20 million in kickbacks. SAPO prosecutors, for instance, earn at least $2,500 per month, or six times more than the Ukrainian monthly average. Kateryna Butko, a civic activist serving on the SAPO selection committee, acknowledged that Ukraine's fight against graft is often plodding.

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