Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he was firing dozens of officials responsible for overseeing military recruitment in each region of the country. The leader claimed the officials were engaging in “revolting” abuses of power.
Last week, Zelensky said his administration had conducted a sweeping investigation into the practices at recruitment centers. “The investigation is revealing numerous abuses. And they are frankly revolting.”
On Friday, Zelensky explained that the investigation resulted in 33 officials overseeing conscription being charged with 113 crimes. “During the inspection of the territorial recruitment centers, law enforcement agencies exposed cases of corruption, in particular during the general mobilization, which pose a threat to Ukraine’s national security and undermine confidence in state institutions,” Zelensky said in a video address.
Officials heading the conscription office in Odessa were fired after acquiring over $5 million in unaccounted for funds.
While Kiev did not give a detailed accounting of the crimes committed, Zelensky explained most crimes involved bribing officials to avoid service in the military. “Some [officials] took cash, some took cryptocurrency – that’s the only difference.” Zelensky continued, “The cynicism is the same everywhere. Illicit enrichment, legalization of illegally obtained funds, illegal benefit, illegal transportation of persons liable for military service across the border.”
Zelensky assigned Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhny the responsibility of installing new officials. He called on the Ukrainian intelligence service to vet all candidates and insisted that the new recruitment officials be injured soldiers.
Corruption has been a rampant problem within the Ukrainian government for years. In January, Zelensky fired several senior officials for corruption. In March, The Wall Street Journal documented Ukrainians paying bribes to officials to avoid being drafted.
Young Ukrainian men drafted into the military have received minimal training, and many have died within a few days of reaching the front lines. On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that morale was plummeting among Ukrainians. One soldier said if given the chance to remake his choice, he would have decided against joining the armed forces.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
The showboating SOB … just always playing to his bosses in London and DC.
Well, what does anyone expect when they just grab you, put you in uniform, and send you to your soon-to-be grave or maiming in a matter of days at the front and all for the benefit of the West’s MIC? At some point, the natural patriotism of the first flush of the invasion can no longer be sustained no matter what the propaganda and people begin to quit.
The richer Ukrainians left a while ago, living the life elsewhere in Europe.
So I would presume.
Kiev did not give a detailed accounting of the crimes committed, but Zelensky explained most crimes involved bribing officials to avoid service in the military
meaning that military service is mandatory in Ukraine
But only for those from 17 to 60 (sarcasm, but not by much) …
Of all the commentators here yours is the only profile that is locked. Convince us that your aren’t a professional state troll.
He’s a bored, sarcastic, poorly-educated, self-impressed Millennial contrarian. In-other-words, a parasite ….
Those draft gangs won’t have to worry about who they grab now.
The poor efers won’t even be able to buy their way out …..with a normal size bribe now.
The meat grinder is always hungry and Ukraine is having trouble finding willing recruits.
Anyone who wanted to fight Putin would have volunteered by now.
Now it’s recruitment with gangs and guns.
a lot of countries on this earth have mandatory military service.
that’s not the same as press-gangs.
ok i am a citizen of Lower Slobovia – we have an ancient 4 ft. stone wall to keep those godless Upper Slobovians out. even though we speak the same language that they do, we have decided that they are godless and that makes all the difference. we do not have a mandatory military but they do, so they totally have the advantage of us and no doubt someday they will hop over that wall and have their way with our pious women.
I’m just sharing what Ukraine is doing, which does resemble “press gangs” as they grab military age men in civilian clothes off the street.
These bribes are part of it.
Your vivid imagination does not negate the numerous reports in various publications (of all political leanings) that have shared about them.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=NS05OSMu&id=C8E499A1BC6C6DFDFCF447339E343AFB116E83C9&thid=OIP.NS05OSMu8_GCPPhBndmqnQHaCe&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fnatedsanders.com%2fItemImages%2f000022%2f43829j_lg.jpeg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.352d3939232ef3f1823cf8419dd9aa9d%3frik%3dyYNuEfs6NJ4zRw%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=801&expw=2400&q=al+capp+lower+slobovia&simid=608025390939340749&FORM=IRPRST&ck=F13DAAE48D878C767C48F8914A8640FF&selectedIndex=4&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0
I guess that excuse that we will fund them as long as they are willing to fight now extends to funding them even if they are unwilling to fight. Waiting for a new catch phrase.
Oh, they’ll come up with something … “$10 billion for a spine-stiffening and patriotism enhancement program” in Ukraine for example …
Good one Cali 😁
No need to find phrases. They are fighting for their land and freedom. They are fighting the invaders that you support.
You’ve got that ass backwards there Don. I want Ukrainians to keep living. So, it would be you that is backing the invaders. How else can you explain you wanting them to continue to fight when their backers have made it abundantly clear that the support won’t be enough for Ukraine to defeat Russia. That they, don’t want a direct war with Russia but they, like you, are willing to let Ukrainians continue to die and their land be destroyed. The very people who said they didn’t believe Ukraine’s counteroffensive wouldn’t be successful without air superiority but still wanted Ukraine to carry out the counteroffensive because they HOPED that it would. Now, why do you hate Ukrainians so much Don?
Spin it like Tucker Carlson.
How am I spinning it? Again, you have it ass backward. HOPE AND COURAGE, not adequate weaponry, wins counteroffensives don’t you know. I thought you retired from the military? And yet that doesn’t piss you off that the West could be so fucking cold hearted?
Not cold hearted. The West is helping. A lot.
Everything is a process and sometimes it can take time especially when the support is multilateral.
Had the West not helped, the entire Ukraine would be occupied and annexed by now.
And the nation would be rebuilding rather than getting littered with cluster bombs and mines. NATO and Russian missiles are daily destroying Ukrainian infrastructure as well as Russian infrastructure.
And no the deals from last year revolved around Russia getting mostly areas that voted overwhelmingly for the pro-Russian candidate during the last Ukrainian election with Ukraine keeping the rest. Ukraine would still exist, and would be a viable country. It is barely a viable country now. If we later support it the way we supported Iraq after we left there then bankruptcy and economic collapse would be inevitable,
No negotiation with terrorists. Putin wants all or nothing. Only fools like you fall for that kind of negotiations. He broke the Budapest Agreement then Invaded after claiming the World was lying about Russia invading Ukraine.
But you Kremlin supporters trust Putin. Good thing the rest of us don’t.
Once more:
March 28, 2022. President Zelensky publicly declares that Ukraine is ready for neutrality combined with security guarantees as part of a peace agreement with Russia. “Security guarantees and neutrality, the non-nuclear status of our state — we’re ready to do that. That’s the most important point … they started the war because of it.”
Do I have to keep posting this:
March 28, 2022. President Zelensky publicly declares that Ukraine is ready for neutrality combined with security guarantees as part of a peace agreement with Russia. “Security guarantees and neutrality, the non-nuclear status of our state — we’re ready to do that. That’s the most important point … they started the war because of it.”
Just think of all those lives lost and all that land that was destroyed since March 28th, 2022. Why do you keep ignoring that the US/NATO doesn’t/didn’t give a flying fuck about Ukraine?
And they’d live happily ever after.
Don is an asswipe…period!
Draft board corruption should not a problem in Ukraine, if there are really millions of patriotic young men eager to volunteer in the fight for their fatherland. As I have repeatedly read in the US MSM.
Perhaps Zelensky is making this stuff up just to boost his credentials as an anti-corruption president. After all, elections will be coming up, just as soon as the war is over…
Surrounded by a sea of corruption, controlled by the U.S. and U.K. . Gee, poor guy. /s
The war will continue for as long as ze-hrenski is president.
Presidential elections will be cancelled by the president anyway for as long as the war continues.
Totally Ingenious Perpetuum Mobile, as far as Raytheon sales rep in Washington is concerned, isn’t it ..
Same as it ever was.
In the world corruption index Ukraine is close to the bottom, above Gabon but below Eswatini (Swaziland).
“The defenders of world’s democracies!”
and there it is = the Corruption Index is an actual global measurement.
you couldn’t make that sh*t up.
We would be hard-pressed to name an ex-Warsaw Pact country whose elites did not transform into an oligarchic mafia..
Although Italy is a country with a mafia, Bulgaria is a Mafia with a country.. Others could be listed as well.. Ukraine is worse than most..
Not sure which chart you were looking up but you probably had Ukraine (116) confused with Russia (137).
116 out of 180 is not close to the bottom. Russia is closer to the bottom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index#:~:text=Denmark%2C%20Finland%2C%20New%20Zealand%2C,Sudan%20(both%20scoring%2013).
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022/index/swz
Which means we should be supporting neither.
What part of you cannot win can`t the Ukrainians understand , all their best fighters are dead and now it`s scrapping the bottom of the barrel time , a British commander once said one volunteer is worth ten pressed men .
I guess Zelensky thinks that accepting hundreds of millions in bribes is just good business, while getting hundreds is corruption.
Fake news! All Ukrainians enthusiastically support the war effort! There are no dissenters, and if there are the morale police will change their minds.
LOL
I’m as shocked as everyone else to hear this. Who could ever have imagined?
I seem to remember someone else firing his officers left and right when the end was near. I can’t remember his name, but I think he was in a bunker in Berlin back in the 40’s.
Yeah but unlike Adolf, Volodimor will not be eating a bullet.
I guess no Ukrainians are allowed to get rich from the war besides Zelensky and his masters. Who do these officials think they are taking bribes like that?? That’s way above their pay grade.
On a serious note, they were FIRED??? OMG, really??? Why not scooped up, dressed in an ill-fitting set of mismatched fatigues, and sent to the Zaporizhe front as infantry replacements? Or is that reserved for poor, working class eastern Ukrainians only? Certainly “age” isn’t a limiting factor, there are pictures aplenty of 50 and 60 year old men in the Ukrainian front lines.
By reports, night clubs in Kyiv and Lviv are full and hopping; lots of wealthy and connected west Ukrainian men seem to be avoiding the draft. Wondering if they had US assistance in setting their draft up? Seems to work much like ours did…
It sounds like they are really cracking down on avoidance of those draft gangs and their harsh recruitment.
When “recruitment” lags and the meat grinder demands….
What struck me was “illegal transportation of persons liable for military service across the border.”
If no person liable to serve wants to leave Ukraine there is no illegal transportation across the border.
I am fairly certain that Russian men liable to serve are fleeing too.
“The leader claimed the officials were engaging in “revolting” abuses of power.”
Said the man who suspended the election until such time as his handlers choose to.
Besides, doesn’t clownskyy understand that with no bribery, their already limited frontline will dry up?
Only an idiot like you believes a country invaded by a superpower should stop their current war efforts to run national elections.
Only an idiot like you believes a country invaded by a superpower should stop their exercise of democracy.
Like the French Captain in Casablanca, I’m shocked.
What a strage bird Zelenski is, The absolute Monster ng of corrupt enrichment sees nothing wrong with his personal conduct and all those profiteering massively from funds and weapins flowing into a bottomless pit of cortuption.
Yet, now that he has squandered untold thousands of lives, and cannot squeeze any more blood frim that turnip -/ it has to be someone’s failt
That’s what happens when you don’t cut the Big Guy in for his 10%!