Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has inexplicably fired all six of his defense ministers. This comes on the heels of the dismissal of Ukraine’s top defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, due to heightening allegations of corruption and mismanagement of military funds.
Zelensky will be visiting the US beginning Tuesday for the UN General Assembly, and anonymous aides have reported that he will meet with Biden and Congress to request more financial support. He warned in an interview on 60 Minutes on Sunday that the US is not supplying funds and weapons solely for Ukraine, but for the good of the world.
He stated, “[Putin] will be looking for instability in Europe and the United States of America. He will use the risk of using nuclear weapons to fuel that [instability]."
Ukraine’s allies, including the US, began noticing a lack of accounting for where the financial aid provided was going at the beginning of 2023. It was reported that Reznikov was signing off on military purchases, including uniforms and food, for outrageously inflated prices.
Zelensky then said of the discovery, “I urge everyone to treat information more critically and responsibly, because it misleads society and, worse still, it misleads our partners, as from outside you'd say it is a disaster.”
The Ukrainian President then allegedly took action to crack down harder on corruption in his military, equating it to treason. Since then, Zelensky has been weeding out officials who have been found engaging in embezzlement and money laundering.
He said of his decision, “I don't know whether Ukrainian MPs will support my idea, but I will definitely propose it … We have to implement systemic changes. This is the way to fight corruption,” Zelensky said.
“I have set a task, and the legislators of Ukraine will be offered my proposals on equating corruption with high treason during wartime.
'I understand that such a weapon cannot operate constantly in society, but during wartime, I think it will help.”
