Ukraine corruption scandal claims several top officials

By ANDREW MELDRUM
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Several senior Ukrainian government officials have lost their jobs as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces a burgeoning corruption scandal. It’s Ukraine’s biggest shake-up since Russia invaded. In all, four deputy ministers and five front-line regional governors were set to leave their posts. Among those leaving was the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office. Zelenskyy was elected in 2019 on an anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft. The new allegations come as Western allies channel billions of dollars to help Kyiv’s fight Russia. Meanwhile, U.S. officials said Washington was poised to approve supplying Kyiv with M1 Abrams tanks, with international reluctance eroding toward sending tanks to the battlefront.