Six Ukrainian deputy defense ministers were dismissed on Monday following the resignation two weeks ago of the defense minister implicated in a corruption scandal, at a time of heavy fighting in the country’s east.
Deputy Defense Ministers, including Hanna Maliar, Vitalii Deyneha and Denys Sharapov, as well as State Secretary of the Defense Ministry Kostiantyn Vashchenko were dismissed, according to the personal Telegram account of Taras Melnychuk, the permanent representative of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers.
Melnychuk did not explain the firings, but the government has been investigating allegations of corruption in the military related to equipment purchases.
Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker who took over as defense minister, has not yet commented on the situation.
Oleksi Reznikov was fired earlier this month after a scandal involving the Ministry of Defense buying military uniforms for three times their price. Reznikov denied the accusations but resigned.
The reshuffle at the Defense Ministry came a day after Ukrainian forces said they had captured the village of Klishchiivka from Russian forces, following months of fierce fighting, which continued this Monday, with Kiev forces attempting to capture a village south of the to hold the city. the Russian city of Bakhmut, in the eastern region of Donetsk.
The recapture followed the recapture of the nearby village of Andriivka.
“The enemy is trying with all its strength to recapture lost positions. That is why our fighters are containing the enemy’s attacks and have entrenched themselves on the conquered borders”This is what sources from the Ukrainian armed forces indicate.
The recapture of Klishchiivka is considered important from a tactical point of view, allowing Ukrainian forces to expand their gains around Bakhmut.
In other fighting, six civilians were killed and 16 wounded in the past 24 hours, the presidential office said.
The Russians attacked residential areas in eight cities and towns in the Donetsk region, including Avdiivka and Kurdiumivka, killing one person and wounding four.
Five artillery attacks in Kherson killed one person and injured another. In the nearby town of Beryslav, Russians dropped explosives from a drone near the local bus station, wounding four people, the presidential office said.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it intercepted all 17 Russian-launched cruise missiles and 18 of 24 Shaded drones in the southern regions of Mykolaiv and Odessa in the early hours of Monday.
Oleh Kiper, regional governor of Odessa, said a recreational facility in the city of Vylkovo was damaged in the attack but there were no casualties.
Vylkovo, often called the “Ukrainian Venice” because of its numerous canals, is located in the Danube Delta on the border with Romania.
Source: DN
