The photo was published on February 1, 2023 on the Telegram channel of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), accompanied by the text: “The SBU neutralized a criminal organization that terrorized the people of Kyiv under the guise of charity. The notebook lists sums of illegal funds seized by the SBU. UKRAINE SECURITY SERVICE
Should we hear in the words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, January 31, a harbinger of what would happen the next day? The head of state, camped behind his desk for his daily address to the nation, had been preparing for the summit between his country and the European Union (EU) scheduled for Friday, February 3 in Kyiv, as well as “new Reforms” discussed in Ukraine. Reforms that will change the social, legal and political reality in many ways.”
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The following day, Wednesday February 1, waves of searches and firings against officials and figures accused of corruption swept the country. Without being “reforms” strictly speaking, these operations were undoubtedly also a message to European leaders to show them that his government has made the fight against chronic corruption one of its top priorities. The head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vassyl Maliouk presented this operation as a campaign aimed at “dealing a blow to the internal enemy” and assured that “this is only the first stage of complex and systematic work , which the SBU is already conducting”. “And we have no intention of stopping! “, he added.
Balancing the day is important. Ukrainian authorities said they searched the homes of billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky and former Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. Investigators also visited high-ranking Defense Ministry officials. The entire leadership of the country’s customs service was dismissed, the State Investigative Bureau conducted searches at the tax authorities and accused “the head of the Kyiv tax service of conspiracy for the purpose of” multi-million dollar enrichment.”
Don’t lose credibility
On Wednesday evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked “law enforcement officials who demonstrated the power of law and the state today” and called the day “fruitful in confronting those who even now have tried to weaken Ukraine”. Ten days earlier, the first corruption scandal since the beginning of the war, involving overpriced purchases of military rations, had led to the dismissal of a number of high-ranking officials. Since then, the authorities have been trying not to lose credibility with their Western allies. The latter have provided unprecedented military and economic support since the beginning of the war.
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