This Article is From Aug 11, 2023

Ukraine Fires All Military Recruitment Chiefs, Says Volodymyr Zelensky

"This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery during war is treason," he said in a statement on Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine Fires All Military Recruitment Chiefs, Says Volodymyr Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky made the announcement on Friday. (File)

Kyiv:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the dismissal of the heads of all the country's regional military recruitment centres on Friday amid concerns about corruption.

President Zelensky said a review of Ukraine's recruiting centres revealed signs of professional abuse ranging from illegal enrichment to transporting draft-eligible men across the border despite a wartime ban.

"This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery during war is treason," he said in a statement.

Kyiv has made cracking down on graft a key priority as it fends off Russia's full-scale invasion and seeks membership of the European Union.

Volodymyr Zelensky said top general Valery Zaluzhny would be responsible for implementing the decision and that new candidates for the posts would first be vetted by Ukraine's domestic security service, the SBU.

Ukraine has faced recruitment challenges as the war with Russia nears the 18-month mark and the military is occasionally hit by scandals revealing graft or heavy-handed recruitment tactics.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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