 Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked the heads of the country's regional military draft boards as part of his ongoing crackdown on corruption. He said an investigation had revealed claims some had taken bribes from men hoping to dodge the draft, while others were helped to flout the wartime ban on leaving the country. More than 100 criminal cases have been opened as part of the wide-ranging probe launched in the wake of a corruption scandal at a recruitment office in the Odesa region last month. 'This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery during war is treason,' Zelensky said, adding that those fired would be replaced by veterans and soldiers wounded at the front. Ukraine has made stamping out corruption a priority as it fends off Russia's full-scale invasion and seeks membership of the European Union. A string of high-ranking officials implicated in sleaze have been fired or prosecuted. Friday's move comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Kyiv with its long-touted counteroffensive hampered by extensive Russian defences across swathes of the southeast. Zelensky said that any sacked army recruitment officers who are not being investigated should head to the front to fight for Ukraine 'if they want to keep their epaulettes and prove their dignity'. But he 'emphasised' the army 'is not and never will be a substitute for criminal punishment', adding: 'Officials who confused epaulettes with perks will definitely face trial.' Ukrainian soldier calculates a SPG-9 grenade launcher in the Serebrianskyi forest near Kreminna on August 9 (Picture: Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images) Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed or wounded fighting since Russia invaded in February 2022. Ukraine has increasingly faced recruitment challenges as the war,){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked the heads of the country’s regional military draft boards as part of his ongoing crackdown on corruption.
He said an investigation had revealed claims some had taken bribes from men hoping to dodge the draft, while others were helped to flout the wartime ban on leaving the country.
More than 100 criminal cases have been opened as part of the wide-ranging probe launched in the wake of a corruption scandal at a recruitment office in the Odesa region last month.
‘This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery during war is treason,’ Zelensky said, adding that those fired would be replaced by veterans and soldiers wounded at the front.