2 films shot in Ukraine were nominated for the Oscar

American politicians and analysts praised the steps taken by the Ukrainian government to fight corruption. They were reacting to, according to observers, the biggest upheaval in the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky since the beginning of the Russian invasion. On Tuesday, several high-ranking officials, including the deputy defense minister and several heads of Ukraine’s regions, were fired amid media reports of inflated prices for products intended for the Ukrainian military.

European Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero said she could not comment on ongoing criminal cases, but said: “We certainly welcome the fact that the Ukrainian authorities are taking these matters seriously.” “Anti-corruption measures are, of course, an important dimension of the EU accession process. And they are also part of the political conditions for further macro-financial assistance of the EU,” CNN quoted the official as saying.

The New York Times notes that the revelations come at a tense time for Ukraine, when it is preparing for a possible new offensive by Moscow. And while there was no indication that the procurement scandal was linked to the misappropriation of Western military aid, the magazine said the firings may signal President Zelenskyi’s desire to reassure Ukraine’s allies, who send billions of dollars in military aid, that his government will not tolerate bribery. .

American observers note that the fight against corruption is a long process, but note that Kyiv understands that cleaning up the government is a necessary condition for Western support for Ukraine.

Expert on issues of Ukraine and Eastern Europe Doug Klein of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center says that “some people don’t understand that establishing the rule of law and ending corruption is not a (process) that turns on with the push of a button.”

“Kyiv knows that the fight against corruption is the key to supporting the West and the European future. Such movements show this,” the American expert believes.

Atlantic magazine columnist David Froomea former employee in the administration of President George W. Bush, believes that the events in Kyiv mean “a change in the anti-corruption culture in Ukraine.”

“Putin’s war changed Ukrainian society,” tweeted an influential conservative commentator.

Nate Sibleyresearch fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Anti-Kleptocracy Initiative, believes that the fight against corruption in Ukraine is part of the Joe Biden administration’s efforts to fight kleptocracy throughout the Western world.

“Administrator Biden’s anti-corruption strategy and the West’s response to Russia’s war against Ukraine have pushed us into a new era of transatlantic efforts against kleptocracy,” the expert tweeted.

As the Voice of America reported, last week, speaking at the Hudson Institute, Andrew Adams, director of the KleptoCapture task force, said that his team has spent the past 10 months dealing with the assets of Russia’s richest oligarchs and collected nearly a billion dollars in “criminally acquired” assets. According to him, this money should be transferred to the reconstruction of Ukraine in the near future. He added that taking immediate action should also encourage law enforcement agencies of US allies around the world to follow America’s example.

Experts who prepared a report on the future reconstruction of Ukraine for the Washington Center for Economic and Political Research are also convinced that “the anti-corruption system is of crucial importance for the successful reconstruction of Ukraine.”

In their tweet, they recall their study, published late last year, which “discusses how corruption flows through multiple channels in Ukraine and presents guidelines for greater transparency.”

Representative of the Republicans in the House of Representatives Victoria Spartzwhich criticized the Ukrainian government for corruption and demanded checks on American military aid to Ukraine, and welcomed steps to clean up the government in Ukraine.

“I am glad to see that the anti-corruption institutions, which I insisted on last summer, are starting to work again. I was shocked to see what some thugs were doing while brave Ukrainians were dying at the front. Many thanks to brave journalists who are not afraid to tell the truth,” Spartz wrote in her tweet.

Advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak believes that “Zelenskyi’s personnel decisions testify to the key priorities of the state.”

“No “closed eyes”. In times of war, everyone must understand their responsibilities. The president sees and hears society. And it directly responds to a key public demand – justice for all…” – tweets the Ukrainian official.