Zelensky shakes his government with layoffs amid a growing corruption scandal

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(CNN) --

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired a slew of top officials amid a widening corruption scandal linked to the procurement of war supplies, in the biggest shakeup of his government since the start of the war. invasion of Russia.

During his late-night speech on Monday night, Zelensky announced that he would ban government officials from traveling abroad for any reason other than official business, saying he would make "personnel changes" in the coming days.

The announcement came after the arrest on Sunday of Vasyl Lozynskyy, the acting Minister of Regional Development.

Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Office accused Lozynskyy of receiving $400,000 in "illegal benefits" for facilitating contracts, including for power generators, a sensitive issue in a country struggling to cope with freezing temperatures and frequent power outages caused by Russia's attacks on infrastructure.

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The National Anti-Corruption Office also said it was investigating "high-profile media reports" about allegations that Ukraine's Defense Ministry was buying military supplies, including food for troops, at inflated prices.

Lozynsky's lawyer, Oleksandr Tananakin, said Lozynsky had been fired from his position before being notified of the allegations.

“No funds were found or seized from Mr. Lozynsky, let alone in the amounts indicated by the [National Anti-Corruption Office],” he said in a statement posted on Facebook on Monday.

Tananakin then accused the office of "deliberately using manipulation tactics to inform the public in order to artificially create a representation of Lozynsky's guilt and form a negative image of him."

The full scope of Zelensky's shakeup began to emerge Tuesday.

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Zelensky's deputy chief of staff, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, announced his resignation on his Telegram account Tuesday morning after Ukrainian media reported that he was using a vehicle intended for humanitarian and evacuation purposes for business trips, accusations CNN reported. cannot verify.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko (Ukrinform/Shutterstock)

Without giving any reason for his decision, Tymoshenko shared a photo of his resignation letter, dated Monday, saying: "I would like to ask you to dismiss me from the post of deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine at my request."

In a statement addressing the allegations, Tymoshenko said the car, a Chevrolet Tahoe, was used for official purposes and that he never hid the fact that he was using it.

“Over the past few months, I have driven this car about 40,000 kilometers on business trips around Ukraine.

I will not use this car in the future,” he said, adding that the vehicle will be transferred to “one of the frontline regions, where it will be used for humanitarian purposes” in the coming days.

Within hours of Tymoschenko's announcement, many more followed in his footsteps.

Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Viacheslav Shapovalov, Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksii Symonenko, Deputy Ministers for Regional Development Ivan Lukerya and Viacheslav Nehoda and Deputy Minister for Social Policy Vitalii Muzychenko have been or have resigned, as have several regional officials.

A statement posted on the Defense Ministry website said Shapovalov, who was "responsible for the logistics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," submitted his resignation after a "campaign of accusations" that the ministry said was "unfounded and baseless."

The Ministry posted Shapovalov's resignation letter online.

"Due to the large public outcry, largely caused by baseless manipulations around the issue of supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there are risks of destabilizing the army's supply processes," the letter said.

“This is unacceptable during the war with Russia.

In this situation, the priority is to ensure the stable work of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and create conditions for transparent and impartial inspections by law enforcement agencies and other authorized bodies."

Lukerya said on Tuesday that he made the decision to step down earlier this year, "but unfortunately, due to political and bureaucratic circumstances, the legal formalization coincided with this week."

chronic corruption

According to a 2021 report by Transparency International, Ukraine is the second most corrupt country in Europe after Russia.

Globally, it was ranked 122 out of 180 countries.

Zelensky's promise to rid the government of corruption was one of the reasons behind his rapid rise to power in 2019.

Zelensky, a former comedian who played Ukraine's president on a hit TV show, had no political experience at the time of his election but managed to tap into the nation's deep-seated disappointment and disgust at rampant corruption.

Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter on Tuesday that changes within the government showed Zelensky was committed to fighting corruption.

“Zelensky's personnel decisions bear witness to the state's key priorities… Without 'closing our eyes,'” he wrote.

“During war, everyone must understand their responsibility.

The president sees and listens to society.

And he responds directly to a key public demand: justice for all."

But Transparency International said much work remains to be done.

While he praised some of the steps the Zelensky government has taken in recent years, he said last year that Ukraine's fight against corruption has stalled and was stuck in a "stalemate."

Tackling corruption is key to Ukraine's ambition to join the European Union in the future.

Ukraine officially became an EU candidate state last year, but Brussels has made it clear that Kyiv will need to step up its fight against corruption if it wants to become a full member.

Ana Pisonero, a spokeswoman for the European Commission, said Tuesday that while she could not comment on ongoing criminal matters, the Commission "of course welcomes the fact that the Ukrainian authorities are taking these matters seriously."

Kostan Nechyporenko reported from Kyiv;

Ivana Kottasová wrote from London.

Irene Nasser and Tim Lister contributed to this reporting.

Volodymyr Zelensky