JRL NEWSWATCH: “Is Ukraine really interested in fighting corruption?” – The Economist

“Volodymyr Zelensky removes his defence minister and goes after an oligarch”

“… At face value [Ukraine’s latest corruption stories] show the government wresting back the initiative on reform. … Zelensky said he would replace … defence minister[] Oleksii Reznikov … following months of corruption scandals …. [T]he SBU … detained [oligarch] Ihor Kolomoisky … on suspicion of fraud and money-laundering. … Kolomoisky had at one point been close to [] Zelensky, with the oligarch’s … tv channel promoting … his comedy and … presidential ambitions …. The role of the SBU, … controlled by the president, … has … raised eyebrows. … [T]he more independent (and Western-backed) National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) [reportedly] had been planning to issue charges against [Kolomoisky] later this week. Some interpret the SBU’s move as an attempt to steal the headlines from NABU — or … disrupt the case and allow [] Kolomoisky to avoid court. … [E]ventual resolution of both stories will [impact] …  [Western funding] ….”

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[featured image is file photo from another occasion]