JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘Where Is the Money?’ Military Graft Becomes a Headache for Ukraine” – New York Times

“The removal of the defense minister highlights the enduring challenge of corruption in Ukraine, which has emerged as a rare area of criticism of … Zelensky’s leadership.”

“… Zelensky’s announcement Sunday night that he was replacing the defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, elevated the [corruption] issue to the highest level of Ukrainian politics. … Ukrainian media reports have pointed to overpayments for basic supplies for the army …. [P]ublic revelations of mismanagement so far have not directly touched foreign weapons transferred to the Ukrainian Army, or Western aid money, but they are nonetheless piercing the sense of unquestioning support for the government  ….  Western donors [reportedly] are closely watching how Ukraine tackles the problem …. Particularly worrying is the proposal to punish corruption as treason because it could allow the domestic intelligence agency, the S.B.U., … under direct control of the president, to investigate official corruption. …”

Click here for: “‘Where Is the Money?’ Military Graft Becomes a Headache for Ukraine; The removal of the defense minister highlights the enduring challenge of corruption in Ukraine, which has emerged as a rare area of criticism of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s leadership.” – New York Times/ Andrew E. Kramer

[featured image is file photo from another occasion]