Several top Ukrainian officials, including the deputy defence minister and the deputy head of the presidential office, have announced their resignations amid a damaging corruption scandal.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned of tough anti-graft measures as reports of foul play in Ukraine’s high offices broke over the weekend, surrounding illicit payments to deputy ministers and over-inflated military contracts.
Five regional governors and four deputy ministers have left their posts, including the governors of Zaporizhia, Kherson, and the capital Kyiv.
One of the first to resign was the president’s deputy head of office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko. He oversaw regional policy and had worked on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s election campaign.
Tymoshenko has been criticised by the media for allegedly using an expensive car donated to Ukraine to be used for humanitarian purposes.
Deputy defence minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov has also resigned following allegations he oversaw the buying of food for soldiers at inflated prices.
Tackling widespread corruption was one of Zelenskyy’s election promises ahead of his landslide victory in the country’s 2019 polls.
On Monday, he announced he would make changes to the government and the security services as part of a renewed crackdown.
A parliamentary committee also agreed to tighten procurement regulations and make some prices public during times of conflict.
