Major government reshuffle sees president’s deputy chief of staff, five heads of regional administrations, four deputy ministers, deputy prosecutor general depart.
On January 24, news surfaced that Deputy Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Tymoshenko left office. His resignation, the first in a string of high-profile dismissals and resignations, marked the shakeup of high-level positions in the government, regional administrations, and the President’s Office.
On Tuesday, the Cabinet of Ministers dismissed five heads of regional military administrations, including Valentyn Reznichenko of Dnipropetrovska region, Oleksandr Starukh of Zaporizhzhia region, Oleksiy Kuleba of Kyiv region, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi of Sumy region, and Yaroslav Yanushevych of Kherson region.
Zhyvytskyi, Reznichenko, Starukh, and Yanushevych already faced criminal charges, according to Censor.NET.
An investigation by Ukrainska Pravda and Schemes (Skhemy) cast light on a disbursement of UAH 1.5 billion (approx. USD 40.6 million) for road rehabilitation from the regional budget made to a company owned by Valentyn Reznichenko’s female friend.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi appointed Oleksiy Kuleba as a deputy head of his office by signing a decree. He had previously dismissed him from service as the head of the Kyiv regional military administration.
Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko was removed from office following a scandal over vacationing in Spain. The order for the voluntary dismissal was signed by the Prosecutor General, Andriy Kostin, the reports said.
Symonenko took a wartime vacation to Spain, violating Zelenskyi’s order. He took a 10-day trip to Marbella, Spain, photos on his wife’s Instagram account show.
Earlier, Deputy Head for Development of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Vasyl Lozynskyi was fired over a corruption scandal.
In the Defense Ministry, Deputy Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov quit. His resignation was approved by Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
Shapovalov who oversaw logistical support for the army, “asked to be released in order not to create threats to the stable support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a result of the campaign of accusations related to the procurement of food services.” The statement refers to an investigation by a Ukrainian newspaper that allegedly exposed the purchase of military rations at inflated prices.
The shakeup of the government demonstrates Zelenskyi’s commitment to eliminate the power of vested interests, advisor to the head of his office Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.
“Zelenskyy’s personnel decisions testify to the key priorities of the state… No ‘blind eyes’. During the war, everyone should understand their responsibility. The President sees and hears society. And he directly responds to a key public demand – justice for all…” Podolyak said.
The EU names russia a terrorist state. What does it legally mean? Ukraine in Flames #320
The European Parliament has declared russia as a state sponsor of terrorism over the brutal acts inflicted upon Ukraine and its citizens since the launch of the invasion. Members of the European parliament call for the further international isolation of russia and ban of russian state-affiliated institutions spreading propaganda. Watch Ukraine in flames #320 to find out why this cohesive European decision is important and how it opens a window of opportunity to lift russia’s immunity, use frozen russian assets and create a special tribunal for putin and russians who commit war crimes in Ukraine.
Guests:
- Anna Bukvych, Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Ukrainian Bar Association on International Law, Senior Lawyer at Jeantet Ukraine
- Andrii Poleshko, SDM Partners Associate
