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Ukraine Raids Military Enlistment Centers in Graft Probe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks in Kyiv on March 17, 2022. Photo: AFP

Ukraine said Tuesday that law enforcement forces were conducting simultaneous raids at dozens of military enlistment offices as part of a sweeping corruption probe coinciding with its key counteroffensive.

“Law enforcement officers have uncovered large-scale corruption schemes in almost all regions of the country,” the office of the prosecutor general said in a statement.

It said police under its supervision were carrying out searches at more than 200 recruitment facilities across Ukraine.

“In return for an illegal benefit, the officials helped citizens to obtain disability certificates or to be recognized as temporarily unfit for service,” the statement said.

Kyiv has been conscripting Ukrainians for assault battalions for its counteroffensive against Russian forces in the south and east of the country.

The move reflects Kyiv’s efforts to clamp down on corruption as part of reforms requested by Western institutions like the European Union, which Ukraine hopes to join.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month dismissed officials responsible for military conscription in each region of the country accusing them of graft that he said could amount to treason.

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