Recently, a scandal erupted in Ukraine around defense procurement of products for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov spoke about the details of the case.
Reznikov said he did not know about the contract, which allegedly bought rations at inflated prices, and that it did not affect the troops.
What Reznikov said in an interview
He acknowledged that the country needs to find a balance between wartime secrecy and the fact that Ukraine must move towards a more transparent system and the European standard of anti-corruption practitioner before the end of the war.
Anders Aslund, a Swedish-American economist and diplomat, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, argues that the fact that journalists have covered this issue and that the government has responded quickly is a positive sign for Ukrainian civil society.
When the war might end
When asked when the war might end, Reznikov said he remained optimistic.
“I hope this year will be a year of victory “, he said, but acknowledged that there was still a lot to be done before then.
What is known about the scandal
- At the end of January, Zerkalo Nedeli published a copy of the deal concluded on December 23 by the Ministry of Defense for catering services in 2023 for several military units. Its cost is 13.16 billion hryvnia.
- At the same time, the journalists compared the prices for the deal with the prices for the same products in the Silpo chain of stores in a residential area of Kyiv. Prices for the most popular products purchased by the Ministry of Defense allegedly turned out to be 2-3 times higher.
- Therefore, the Ministry of Defense reported on an internal audit, as well as the preparation of materials for an investigation into the dissemination of knowingly false information that causes damage interests of defense in a special period.
- On verification of purchases, possible abuses in the Ministry of Defense and open criminal proceedings, NABU and SAPO also reported.
- On January 24, it became known that Reznikov's deputy Vyacheslav Shapovalov resigned. It was he who was responsible for the logistics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
