Ukrainian Deputy Minister Arrested on Corruption Charges

Vasyl Lozinskyi, the deputy infrastructure minister of Ukraine, has been arrested and fired over the alleged theft of $400,000 earmarked for the purchase of aid, notably generators, according to official anti-corruption investigators and prosecutors.

After the news broke, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, swore that corruption would not return to Ukraine.

According to Ukraine’s anti-corruption organizations, Lozinskyi conspired with contractors to inflate the price of generators and skimmed off a portion of the difference. According to reports, other national and regional leaders were also involved. During the summer, the Ukrainian government allotted 1.68 billion hryvnia (about £36.7 million) for items and technologies that would assist in providing alternate sources of electricity, water, and heat to the country’s inhabitants during the winter.

The materials were purchased to prepare Ukraine in the event that Russia targeted its energy infrastructure, as it has done repeatedly since September.

Anti-corruption investigators apprehended Lozinskyi on Saturday. In a statement, they claimed to have discovered $38,000 at cash in Lozinskyi’s office, and they published a photograph of dollar and hryvnia bills. Lozinskyi was fired from the government on Sunday. He has not responded to the charges.

Before the war, corruption scandals were nearly an everyday occurrence in Ukrainian politics. In 2021, Transparency International placed the country 122 out of 180, making it one of the world’s most corrupt nations. Anti-corruption reforms are one of the EU’s primary membership conditions for Ukraine.