The Prosecutor-General’s Office of Ukraine has accused the country’s former deputy defence minister, Vyacheslav Shapovalov, of embezzling 948m hryvnyas (about $25m), Ukrainian media reports.
The former head of the ministry’s procurement department, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, was named as Shapovalov’s associate. This is the fourth suspicion brought against these officials. According to the investigation, he and two accomplices bought 50,000 non-standard body armour waistcoats from a company with Russian beneficiaries using budget money. The suspects face up to 12 years in prison.
In November 2023, Ukrainian deputy defence minister was accused of embezzling almost one billion hryvnias. In October 2023, North Atlantic Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine’s path to NATO, despite the conflict, includes fighting corruption.
On 17 August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree dismissing all regional military commissars in the country. On 27 August, he issued a statement on his intention to equate corruption during martial law with state treason.
