- The defense ministry was shaken by a food procurement scandal.
- The deputy head of the presidential office also resigned.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a ban on officials traveling abroad.
KYIV – Several senior Ukrainian officials resigned on Tuesday, as the defense ministry was shaken by a food procurement scandal and the presidency threatened tough anti-corruption measures.
Vyacheslav Shapovalov, the deputy minister in charge of the army’s logistical support, resigned, according to the defense ministry.
The resignation comes after the ministry was accused of signing inflated food contracts.
While calling the accusations “unfounded and baseless”, the ministry said Shapovalov’s departure “will preserve the trust of society and international partners”.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential office, was also among those who resigned.
Tymoshenko said on social media he had submitted a resignation letter, thanking the president for the “trust and the opportunity to do good deeds every day and every minute”.
Handwritten resignation letter
He posted a photo of himself holding a handwritten resignation letter but provided no explanation for his decision, which was confirmed by a presidential decree.
During his presidency, Tymoshenko was embroiled in a number of scandals, including the use of a car donated to Ukraine for humanitarian purposes in October of last year.
Also on Tuesday, Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General announced the resignation of deputy prosecutor general Oleksiy Symonenko, without providing any further details.
Symonenko was recently accused of taking a vacation in Spain and driving a car owned by a Ukrainian businessman.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a ban on officials traveling abroad for non-work-related reasons in his evening address on Monday.
“If they need to rest right now, they will do so outside of the civil service. Officials will no longer be permitted to travel abroad for pleasure or for any other non-government reason “According to Zelensky.
The announced changes come after a Ukrainian deputy minister of community, territory, and infrastructure development was fired over the weekend after being arrested on suspicion of embezzlement.
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