2024-01-28T05:31:01+00:00
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/ The Ukrainian Security Service said on Saturday that it had uncovered a corruption operation related to the Ukrainian army’s purchase of weapons worth a total of about $40 million.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry confirmed the plot, which would have huge repercussions in a country that Russia has been invading for nearly two years.
The struggle to root out rampant corruption in the country remains a major issue as Ukraine seeks European Union membership.
The Ukrainian Security Service said the investigation “revealed that officials of the Ministry of Defense and managers of the Lviv Arsenal arms supply company stole nearly 1.5 billion hryvnias in the purchase of shells.”
“According to the investigation, former and current high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Defense and heads of related companies are involved in the embezzlement,” he added, saying the embezzlement included the purchase of 100,000 mortar shells for the army.
Corruption within the military is a particularly sensitive issue in Ukraine as it tries to maintain wartime morale and make its case to join the 27-nation European Union.
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov was sacked last September over various corruption cases, despite having a good reputation for representing Ukraine in its discussions with Western allies.