A Ukrainian lawmaker, along with senior regional officials and members of the National Guard, has been arrested following the uncovering of a large-scale corruption scheme linked to the purchase of military equipment, including drones and electronic warfare systems.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the arrests in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that the suspects had engaged in inflating state contract prices by up to 30%. “There can be zero tolerance for corruption in Ukraine,” Zelensky said, while commending Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies for exposing the operation.
The latest arrests come amid heightened scrutiny over Ukraine’s handling of military procurement funds, especially as the country continues to receive significant international aid during its ongoing war with Russia.
The accused reportedly include an unnamed member of parliament, heads of city and district administrations, and several personnel from the National Guard. Authorities say the group exploited public procurement channels to siphon off large sums through inflated supplier contracts.
The arrests follow a recent political storm over Zelensky’s move to curtail the independence of Ukraine’s top anti-corruption bodies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP). A controversial bill passed earlier had sought to shift prosecutorial powers to the general prosecutor, sparking widespread public protests and sharp criticism from Ukraine’s Western allies.
In the face of mounting pressure, Zelensky reversed course and submitted a new bill that restored the full autonomy of both NABU and SAP. The legislation was approved just nine days after the initial bill had been signed into law.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Defence Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), publicly thanked the president for “hearing the public’s call” and avoiding what he described as a critical misstep.
The episode reaffirmed the importance of institutional independence in Ukraine’s fight against entrenched corruption — a key condition in its bid to join the European Union. The establishment of NABU and SAP in 2014 was part of a broader reform agenda pushed by the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund.
Ukraine’s EU candidate status, granted in 2022, remains contingent on progress in areas such as judicial reform and anti-corruption enforcement.
Since their inception, NABU and SAP have carried out high-profile investigations into misuse of state funds. In one landmark case in 2023, they arrested the head of Ukraine’s Supreme Court, Vsevolod Kniaziev, for allegedly accepting a $3 million bribe.
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