Zelenksy on dismissal of deputy minister: 'There will be no return to the way things used to be'

President Volodymyr Zelensky called the dismissal of Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Development Vasyl Lozynskiy a "signal to all whose actions or behavior violate the principle of justice."

The Cabinet of Ministers on Jan. 22 dismissed Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Development Vasyl Lozynskiy, who has been detained and accused of receiving a $400,000 bribe.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) detained Lozynsky on Jan. 21, allegedly, as he was receiving the bribe in cash.

"I want this to be our signal to anyone whose actions or behavior violates the principle of justice. Of course, now, the main focus is on issues of defense, foreign policy, and war. But this does not mean that I do not see and hear what is being said in society at various levels - both at the central level and in the regions," Zelensky said during his evening address on Jan. 22.

Zelensky followed by saying that this week "will be the time of appropriate decisions" but that he did not want "to announce them now." He did add, however, that the decisions will concern energy and procurement, the relations between the central government and the regions, and procurement and the military.

Ukrainian news outlet ZN.UA reported on Jan. 21 that the Defense Ministry purchases food for the military at prices between two and three times higher than those at Kyiv grocery stores.

"I want it to be clear: there will be no return to the way things used to be," Zelensky said.

The president also thanked law enforcement officers who "protect the law and state interests" and journalists who "deal with all the facts and establish the full picture."

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The Kyiv Independent