On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced the removal of the leaders of all the country’s regional military recruitment centers, citing corruption concerns.
A study of Ukraine’s recruiting centers, according to Zelenskiy, showed evidence of professional abuse ranging from unlawful enrichment to transferring draft-eligible males across the border despite a wartime restriction.
“This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery during war is treason,” he said in a statement.
Kyiv has made cracking down on graft a key priority as it fends off Russia’s full-scale invasion and seeks membership of the European Union.
Zelenskiy said top general Valery Zaluzhny would be responsible for implementing the decision and that new candidates for the posts would first be vetted by Ukraine’s domestic security service, the SBU.
Ukraine has faced recruitment challenges as the war with Russia nears the 18-month mark and the military is occasionally hit by scandals revealing graft or heavy-handed recruitment tactics.
