President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has taken decisive action in his fight against corruption within Ukraine's military recruitment centers.
In a move aimed at ensuring the integrity of the system that provides soldiers for the ongoing counteroffensive against Russian occupiers, Zelenskyy has sacked the directors of these regional centers.
Highlighting the need for combat veterans to be involved in the process, Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian prosecutors have filed 112 criminal proceedings against officials at territorial military recruitment centers. He emphasized the importance of having individuals who have experienced the realities of war in charge of selecting soldiers for Ukraine's military.
Zelenskyy stated, "This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery in terms of war constitute treason. Warriors who have gone through the frontline or who cannot be in the trenches because they have lost their health [or] lost their limbs but have retained their dignity and have no cynicism are the ones who can be entrusted with this system."
The crackdown on corruption comes in the wake of the arrest of the head of Kyiv's district recruiting center by Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation. The arrest followed an investigation into a scheme that allowed men to evade military service by providing them with fake documents for a bribe of $10,000. Zelenskyy condemned the actions of these officials, stating, "The cynicism is the same everywhere. Some took cash, some took cryptocurrency, that's the only difference."
It is worth noting that since Russia's invasion, Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 have been prohibited from leaving the country in most cases. Zelenskyy made it clear that those charged with corruption will be held accountable, but even those who are not officially charged will not be reinstated in their positions. The only way for them to retain their rank and prove their "dignity" is by going to the war front, according to Zelenskyy.
With these measures, President Zelenskyy is taking a strong stance against corruption in Ukraine's military recruitment system, ensuring that only those with the utmost integrity and firsthand experience of war are entrusted with the responsibility of selecting soldiers for the country's ongoing battle against Russian occupiers.
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