Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Feb. 13 that there will be new deputy ministers within the Defense Ministry but did not name the candidates yet. He added that the changes are intended to "improve work efficiency."
On Feb. 10, Reznikov shared details about a meeting of working groups within the anti-corruption advisory body under the Defense Ministry, which includes members from several noted anti-corruption NGOs.
In January 2022, the Defense Ministry was hit with a corruption scandal when Ukrainian newspaper ZN.UA published an investigation into the purchase of food at inflated prices, leading to the firing of several top officials.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine announced on Jan. 23 that it had opened an investigation into the matter.
Following the outbreak of the scandal, 497 officials in Ukraine's Armed Forces and Defense Ministry were fined, and 124 faced disciplinary liability following internal audits in 2022.
"My position was, is, and will remain unchanged — zero tolerance for any violations. Each person whose guilt has been proven by the relevant authorities bears and will bear responsibility," Reznikov said on Feb. 9.
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