A number of senior Ukrainian officials have resigned as President Volodymyr Zelenskyi begins a reshuffle of his government.
A top adviser, four deputy ministers and five regional governors resigned on Tuesday.
His departure came as Ukraine launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign.
Recently, authorities have seen allegations of bribery, reports of overpriced food and a man accused of living a lavish lifestyle.
Senior aide Mykhailo Podoliak said Mr Zelenskiy was responding to a “vital public demand” that justice should apply to everyone.
The president has already banned state officials from leaving the country unless on authorized business.
The first to resign on Tuesday was Kyrillo Tymoshenko, the president’s deputy chief of staff, who oversaw regional policy and previously worked on Mr Zelensky’s election campaign.
After Russia invaded Ukraine last February, he became a frequent spokesman for the government.
He has been accused by Ukrainian investigative journalists of using several expensive sports cars during the war – although he denies any wrongdoing.
In a Telegram post, he thanked Mr Zielinski for “the opportunity to do good every day and every minute”.
Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov also resigned, following reports that he oversaw the purchase of expensive military foodstuffs from a relatively unknown firm. The department called it a “technical error” and claimed no money had changed hands.
The defense minister himself – Oleksiy Reznikov – is also under scrutiny for the same reason.
A host of other top executives were fired on Tuesday, including:
- Deputy Prosecutor General Olesky Simonenko
- Deputy Minister of Communities and Regional Development Ivan Lokaria
- Vyacheslav Nigoda, Deputy Minister of Communities and Regional Development
- Deputy Minister for Social Policy Vitaly Mozychenko
- and regional governors of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Sumy and Kherson
Ukraine has a history of corruption and in 2021 Transparency International ranked the country 122nd out of 180 in its ranking of corrupt states.
The crackdown is one of the EU’s key demands if the country is to press ahead with its application to join the bloc.
In a speech on Sunday, Mr Zielinski promised that “what happened in the past will not return to the way of life of various people living near state institutions”.
His comments followed the arrest of Ukraine’s Deputy Infrastructure Minister Vasyl Luzhinsky on Saturday on suspicion of accepting more than $350,000 (£285,000) in bribes to supply electricity generators. He has denied the allegations.
Mr. Zelensky Servant of the People’s Party chief David Arakamia has said that corrupt officials may face jail time.
“Officials at all levels have been constantly warned through official and unofficial channels: focus on the war, help the victims, reduce bureaucracy and stop doing shady business.
“Many of them have actually heard, but unfortunately, some have not,” he said in a statement to the Telegram.
“If it doesn’t work out decently, it will be done according to wartime rules. This applies both to the recent purchase of generators and the latest scandals at the Ministry of Defense.”
Although anti-corruption reforms have been made in recent years, the stakes remain high for Kyiv – which is receiving billions of dollars in financial aid from Western allies.
