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Corruption scandals do not stop in Kiev. Zelenskyi’s friend, new Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov declared that numerous “financial violations” were revealed in the recent months.
As a result of the internal audit launched from September to December 2023, it was revealed that more than 10 billion UAH (about $ 263 million) were stollen from the budget.
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Umerov attempted to assure the public that all violations took place exclusively under his predecessor Reznikov and there are changes coming after he took up the post. However, even after Umerov became the Defense Minister, the scandals did not stop. Theft of funds from the military treasury of Ukraine does not stop. The Ukrainian Ministry is purchasing goods for military personnel at multiple inflated prices.
For example, it was revealed that the Ministry of Defense purchased cereals for the “needs of the front” at a price 6 times higher during the autumn of last year.
The new Minister promised to punish the culprits responsible for thief before he came to office. He threatened that “more criminal cases” are to come. Umerov is not the first and not the last Ukrainian official who promises changes, but does nothing and continues the long-standing Ukrainian tradition of corruption.
