digitalpigsmuggler Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 Zelensky and his cronies are trying to cover up a major corruption scandal in Ukraine – what role is the US playing? Quote Last month’s shockwave of resignations among top Ukrainian officials, caused by numerous corruption scandals, ended as quickly as it began. At the start of February, it seemed that Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov would become the ultimate victim of the purge. His imminent departure was openly discussed in the Ukrainian parliament and hints were even dropped by the President's office. His possible resignation was also discussed in leading international media. However, just two weeks later, the threat hanging over Reznikov disappeared when the politician met with Western leaders and plainly stated that he had no intention of leaving office. How did Reznikov avoid being culled, what role did the visit of US inspectors to Kiev play in the process, and what was the big corruption scandal in the Defense Ministry of Ukraine all about? An internal conflict Various sources began speculating about the possible resignation of Reznikov on February 5. They claimed that the current Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, major general Kirill Budanov, would become Reznikov’s successor. The reports appeared against the background of a large corruption scandal at the ministry linked to food procurement for front-line troops. At the time, the chairman of President Vladimir Zelensky’s Servant of the People political party, David Arakhamiya, said that Reznikov would be offered the position of Minister for Strategic Industries in order to “strengthen military-industrial cooperation” and would handle Western supplies of military equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). In the following days, the possible resignation was discussed not just in Ukrainian and Russian media, but in foreign publications such as The Guardian and Politico. Discussions simultaneously proceeded in Kiev’s Verkhovna Rada where Dmitry Razumkov, a former ally of Zelensky, promised that if the Defense Minister were to resign over a corruption scandal, parliament would not support his appointment to a new position. However, discussions in parliament quickly dissipated and Arakhamiya, who previously pushed for Reznikov's resignation, announced that no forthcoming personnel changes are expected in the government in the near future. Failed resignation On February 15, Reznikov himself clarified the situation. Asked by Reuters whether he planned to remain in office for the next few months, he replied: “Yes, it was my president’s decision.” At the same time, the official suggested that criticism of him could be attributed to a desire for personal revenge by anti-corruption activist Vitaly Shabunin, over his transfer from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry back to units of the Territorial Defense Force. “There are people, who, in the midst of a political anti-corruption career, wake up and fall asleep with my surname,” the minister said. owever, there are various theories as to why the resignation did not take place. According to one, an upcoming meeting with Western backers at Ramstein Air Base at that time played a role. Replacing Reznikov would have created an unfavorable impression and could have affected the negotiating process. Additionally, there is another unofficial version, according to which the head of the presidential administration, Andrey Yermak, defended the minister. Yermak is considered to be a patron of Reznikov, and he allegedly tried to block the replacement. Yermak has been involved in a lengthy, bitter conflict with Arakhamiya, and this has intensified amid the speculation around the defense minister. Despite the minister’s various versions and statements, there is still talk on the sidelines of a scenario in which Reznikov will be replaced by Budanov. After all, the corruption scandal has proved to be too high-profile – not only for Ukrainian society but also for Kiev’s foreign partners. g cash It began when Ukrainian publication Zerkalo Nedeli disclosed the details of a 13 billion hryvnia ($353 million) contract between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and Aktiv Company LLC for the purchase of food supplies at extremely inflated prices. The deal didn’t involve the purchase of any special equipment, but rather basic food supplies such as potatoes, onions, and eggs. Secondly, the document was signed with a company whose authorized capital amounted to just 1,000 hryvnia ($27). The outrageous prices constituted the third and central reason for the scandal. The “wholesale” cost stated by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry was several times higher than the retail cost of the same products in a premium-class supermarket. A few days later, Reznikov accused the journalists of “manipulation” and of “informational attacks” which could negatively impact Ukraine’s military-aid negotiations with the West. Later, the politician admitted his “communicative failure” and attempted to write it off as a “technical error,” explaining that eggs and other products were priced per kilogram, not per unit. “This is a common technical error made by the supplier. Eggs are the only category from the catalog that is calculated in pieces in the appendix to the transaction. The supplier mistakenly indicated the price not per piece, but by weight when he transferred data from one table, where everything was measured by weight, to another,” Reznikov assured the press, claiming that taking this correction into account, the cost “fully corresponds to the market price.” Nevertheless, a cloud of suspicion descended over several ministry officials. On January 24, Deputy Minister of Defense Vyacheslav Shapovalov resigned, and, on February 3, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained two businessmen for selling food at inflated prices. Two other high-ranking officials also came under suspicion – Bogdan Khmelnitsky, former Deputy Head of the Department of Public Procurement and Supply of Material Resources, and Vladimir Tereshchenko, Deputy Head of the Department for the Coordination of Foreign Economic Activity. Interestingly, they were charged with offenses unrelated to the procurement of military food supplies. Charges against Reznikov have not yet been brought, although he has admitted he is responsible for the actions of his subordinates stating, “No official remains in office forever. Not a single one. The ruling regarding my position as the Minister of Defense will be made by a single person – the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, in accordance with the constitution. My own decisions will be based solely on the decision made by the President of Ukraine.” Footprint of US The corruption scandals in Ukraine are being actively publicized by the media and are linked not only to the government’s political opponents, but also to Ukraine's partners, primarily the United States. For example, Bihus.Info published an investigation into Yermak's ties with former deputies from the now banned Opposition Platform – For Life party. This was Ukraine’s second largest political faction, until it was prohibited by Zelensky, as part of his crackdown on political opponents. Many experts have viewed the saga as an attempt by the American government to solve its own pressing issue of Republican demands that the White House establish control over US aid to Ukraine. Having gained a majority in the the House of Representatives, the Republican Party wants stricter controls over the expenditure of multibillion-dollar tranches allocated to Kiev. In Ukraine, the political consequences may also be significant. On January 29, several inspectors arrived in Kiev from the US. The commission included Inspectors General Diana Shaw, Robert Storch, and Nicole Angarella from the US Department of State, the Pentagon, and the Agency for International Development (USAID), respectively. According to the US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, the purpose of their visit was “to advance independent oversight of US assistance to Ukraine”. The offices of all three inspectors have established an interdepartmental working group that includes similar services in other departments and several government auditing services – 17 in total. The group will be responsible for holding meetings with “key American and Ukrainian officials, colleagues in various government agencies and non-governmental organizations implementing programs funded by the United States.” The inspectors are clearly trying to work with the civilian population, bypassing the Ukrainian authorities. Among the inspectors, Robert Storch is closely familiar with Ukraine’s internal affairs. From 2007 to 2009, he worked in Ukraine as a consultant on anti-corruption issues, and in 2014, he returned to Kiev to help develop anti-corruption legislation. He also advised the authorities on the creation of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalpigsmuggler Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 (edited) https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/ukraine Ukraine is corrupt as hell. But people get shouted down if you mention this. Edited March 2, 2023 by digitalpigsmuggler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 (edited) 5 minutes ago, digitalpigsmuggler said: https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/ukraine Ukraine is corrupt as hell. But people get shouted down if you mention this. LOL - seems to me they were a lot less corrupt than the US gov on or about July, 2019.... Edited March 2, 2023 by gehringer_2 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalpigsmuggler Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 (edited) https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-bakhmut-drone-attacks-c0e33e89b027c3604f585166a349c457 Looks like Bakhmut is finally going to fall. China meeting with Belarus. That is an interesting development. Edited March 2, 2023 by digitalpigsmuggler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 1 hour ago, Tiger337 said: It matters because MAGAs suck while old school Republicans are capable of being reasonable at times. Because old school republicans were part of a national security consensus based on collective security in partnership with allied governments based on principles of the Atlantic Charter agreed upon by a Democrat President and a British Tory Prime Minister. They old school republicans who help found the bulwark of democracies in the Cold War were former isolationists like Michigan Senator Arthur Vandenberg who helped solidify the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan and NATO. But to the pro-Putin MAGAs these are all just impediments to getting more up Putin's ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfife Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 rt.com making an appearance 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtutiger Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 1 minute ago, pfife said: rt.com making an appearance I, for one, am shocked that an organ of the Russian government would parrot Russian talking points. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMRivdogs Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 It definitely has the feel of an AI Bot 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger337 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 1 hour ago, CMRivdogs said: It definitely has the feel of an AI Bot Except that he has also been commenting in the sports threads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger337 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 2 hours ago, gehringer_2 said: LOL - seems to me they were a lot less corrupt than the US gov on or about July, 2019.... When you're a wealthy country, corruption is OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 14 minutes ago, Tiger337 said: Except that he has also been commenting in the sports threads. Da, sport is important Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984Echoes Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 2 hours ago, pfife said: rt.com making an appearance MAGA loves them some Russian Times. Drumpf boot-licks Putin incessantly... why wouldn't MAGA start spouting Putin's propaganda rag? It all makes sense... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 This is the sort of thing that could lead to a wider war. I'm saying that I hope China makes the right decision and doesn't put us on the treadmill to direct conflict. Thinking in terms of the embargoes on the Japanese that drove them to Pearl Harbor. That we embargoed them was a well-meaning effort to correct a foreign bad actor short of conflict. But, it ratcheted up things to the point where they chose to attack. Meanwhile, Putin is paying his stooges to say we shouldn't care about his atrocities. Yeah, ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasfh Posted March 2, 2023 Author Share Posted March 2, 2023 (edited) 12 hours ago, pfife said: rt.com making an appearance Yeah, this one won’t end well, either. Edited March 2, 2023 by chasfh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalpigsmuggler Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 Polls from the Associated Press, Pew Research and Fox News show rising skepticism toward the massive aid packages the Biden administration has made a habit of delivering to Ukraine. Support for such aid among Americans fell from 60% in May 2022 to just 48% today, according to the AP. Meanwhile, the share of Americans who say the U.S. has already given too much to Ukraine has risen from just 7% in March 2022 to 26% today, according to Pew https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-support-arming-ukraine-dropping-despite-biden-promises.amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984Echoes Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 So you're part of the 7%... right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigeraholic1 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 These Ukraine soldiers are something else. Standing next to an APC while live firing will make most piss their pants. Add an RPG to the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigeraholic1 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 6 hours ago, romad1 said: This is the sort of thing that could lead to a wider war. I'm saying that I hope China makes the right decision and doesn't put us on the treadmill to direct conflict. Thinking in terms of the embargoes on the Japanese that drove them to Pearl Harbor. That we embargoed them was a well-meaning effort to correct a foreign bad actor short of conflict. But, it ratcheted up things to the point where they chose to attack. Meanwhile, Putin is paying his stooges to say we shouldn't care about his atrocities. Yeah, ok. Putin praying for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 1 minute ago, Tigeraholic1 said: Putin praying for this. For sure. During that period when we were embargoing the Japanese Lend Lease to Britain was less popular than aid to Ukraine currently is. America does not favor butchers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 Holy crap! Blinken from the top of the turnbuckle! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984Echoes Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 17 minutes ago, romad1 said: Holy crap! Blinken from the top of the turnbuckle! 👍👍👍👍 Collective Security. Best deal on the planet!!! 😁 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 (edited) 29 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said: 👍👍👍👍 Collective Security. Best deal on the planet!!! 😁 This is really interesting because Kazakhstan is really China's target. They want to ship everything to Europe via them. Edited March 2, 2023 by romad1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 (edited) did China make a call? Those lights might be off on purpose Edited March 2, 2023 by romad1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romad1 Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 This is a very interesting addition. Armored vehicle bridges are what you need if you are crossing rivers. if you are on the attack. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigeraholic1 Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 10 minutes ago, romad1 said: This is a very interesting addition. Armored vehicle bridges are what you need if you are crossing rivers. if you are on the attack. They need those asap. Russia is such a mess right now on the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.