Kyrylo Tymoshenko resigned in anti-corruption drive

On Tuesday, key officials in Ukraine resigned from their posts. President Zelensky continues his efforts to combat corruption in the country. The first to resign was Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the President’s deputy head of office. He oversaw regional policy and had earlier worked on Zelensky’s election campaign.

Following Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Defence Minister Vyacheslav Shopalov and Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko also resigned. The resignations come in response to a “key public demand” for justice to apply to everyone, according to top adviser Mykhailo Podolyak.

The President also bans top government officials from moving away from the country unless on official state business. Ukrainian media suggests that the country’s defense ministry paid inflated prices to a relatively unknown firm for food supplies. Furthermore, on Monday, the government arrested another minister on bribery charges.

Transparency International has ranked Ukraine at 122 of 180 countries in the ranking of corrupt states. The European Union (EU) has made it clear that the country must tackle corruption. If they want to advance their application to join the bloc, they must mitigate this problem.

In a recent address, Zelensky promised that they would not return to what used to be in the past, to the way numerous people close to state institutions used to live. The stakes are high for Ukraine, which is also receiving billions of dollars in financial aid from Western allies.

Zelensky’s anti-corruption efforts are a step in the right direction; it’s not enough to address corruption in the country. The President’s efforts include the resignation of key officials and the arrest of corrupt ministers. The actions are right but don’t impact the bigger scenario.

Reports also suggest the ban on government officials from going anywhere unless on official state business. The President needs to continue these efforts to improve the image of Ukraine and to gain the trust of the EU.

Credits: BBC