Cases of corruption are periodically repeated in Ukraine, especially since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. The Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Andriï Kostin, submitted his resignation this Tuesday, October 22 after an investigation by the security services security will reveal a system of large-scale corruption. that allegedly allowed officials in his administration to avoid enlisting in the military.
Military mobilization is a hot topic in Ukraine, criticized due to corruption scandals and a system considered unfair by many Ukrainians, as the army struggles to replenish its ranks after two and a half years of Russian invasion.
“Many shameful abuses have been discovered” within the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office, wrote Andriï Kostin. “In this situation, I consider it correct to announce my resignation.”
There is no shortage of corruption cases
In the process, President Volodymyr Zelensky, who participated in a meeting of the National Security Council on this issue, declared that “the system of commissions of medical and social experts should be abolished.”
According to him, “there are hundreds of cases of manifestly unjustified disability” among customs, tax and local administration officials. The investigation by the security services (SBU) also reported that officials from “different state agencies” had declared “fictitious disabilities” to avoid being mobilized in the army. Volodymyr Zelensky considered that “personal responsibilities” had been assumed, citing in particular those of the prosecutor general.
These announcements come after a series of corruption scandals involving officials responsible for the military mobilization. The security services said in a statement on Tuesday that they had uncovered a system of “large-scale” corruption. According to the SBU, in 2024, 64 officials were suspected of these crimes and another nine were convicted.
Around 4,100 disability certificates were canceled because they were based on “false documents,” these services explained. In early October, Ukrainian authorities announced that they had confiscated almost five million euros in cash from the head of a regional medical commission. Other similar cases were later discovered.
Media reports claim that more than 50 prosecutors from the Khmelnytsky region (west) obtained disability status thanks to the services of this official, which allowed them to receive very high pensions. In 2023, Zelensky had already decided to dismiss all regional officials responsible for military enlistment to eradicate the corruption that reigned in their services.
Ukraine, which has suffered from endemic corruption since the fall of the Soviet Union, has pledged to step up its fight against such practices as part of its efforts to join the European Union. But since the start of the Russian invasion, several major scandals have broken out, including within the Ministry of Defense and the military, leading to the dismissal and arrest of senior officials.
Source: BFM TV
