Wave of anti-corruption arrests and raids, long-range munitions from the U.S. confirmed
Your slice of the top headlines in Ukraine. Daily. Thursday, February 2nd, 2023.
Based on previous reports, the new weapon type is likely going to be Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) rockets for HIMARS rocket artillery systems, enabling HIMARS to strike targets 150 kilometers away. U.S.-funded Radio Liberty also reports that U.S. President Joe Biden will soon discuss Western weapon supplies to Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“A SAPO prosecutor sent an appeal to the HACC’s Appeals Chamber against the decision of the HACC’s investigative judge on the refusal to impose a pre-trial restriction against former Chairman of the Board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine,” reads the report. The SAPO prosecutors added they consider such a decision illegal and unfounded. They also believe that the investigation has gathered enough evidence regar ing the risk of the suspects obstructing the pre-trial investigation.
According to the agency, the industry’s volume of exports export increased by $400 million compared to the pre-war year 2021. “The figure of more than $7 billion from the export of IT services is also a unique one, because of it being the largest indicator in the entire history of the Ukrainian IT industry’s existences,” said Konstantin Vasyuk, the executive director of the IT Ukraine Association.
The raid was related to the case of the helicopter crash in Brovary on Jan. 18, in which the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was killed. According to the media, during the searches, employees of the State Bureau of Investigation studied contracts from six years ago with the French Airbus Helicopter, which supplied helicopters to Ukraine. In particular, they studied the contracts for the H-225 aircraft that was used by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
NV’s sister outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported on Feb. 1, citing its sources in law enforcement that a search of the residence of Kolomoisky, the former owner of PrivatBank, Ukraine’s biggest bank, now state-owned, was underway. Unofficially, one of the law enforcement agencies confirmed to NV Business that the ESBU was indeed conducting investigative actions against Ihor Kolomoisky.
Ukrainian MP and leader of the ruling Servant of the People party faction in parliament, Davyd Arakhamia, also confirmed the information on his Telegram channel. Referring to sources inside the ministry, Ukrainska Pravda said that Bohdan Khmelnytsky, deputy director of the public procurement department, was served with a notice of suspicion on charges of embezzlement of UAH 107,796,050 (about $3 million) of public funds and providing the Armed Forces with 5,700 low-quality bulletproof vests.
The agency reported that while carrying out investigative and operational activities it had been established that after the start of the full-scale invasion, the high-ranking official financed the “DPR” terrorist organization. "In particular, this was done through the payment of ‘taxes’ and ‘fees’ to the budget of this quasi-entity," the SBU press service said in a statement.
According to the official, shown to the door were acting head of the State Customs Service, Vyacheslav Demchenko, and his deputies, Oleksandr Shchutskyi and Ruslan Cherkasskyi. MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported on the Telegram messenger that the remaining deputy head of the customs office, Serhiy Zvyahintsev, would be appointed acting head of the agency.
"The SBU is attacking an internal enemy across the board," the SBU said. Acting head of the SBU Vasyl Malyuk explained it is only the first stage of "complex and systematic work" needed to be done and the SBU "isn't going to stop".
Allegedly, the ex-deputy minister lobbied for contracts for the supply of food for the military at inflated prices, as well as the purchase of low-quality bulletproof vests, helmets, clothing and other items for the military worth more than UAH 1 billion ($27.1 million). The contracts were concluded with full prepayment.
Nasalyk is suspected of signing unprofitable gas customs clearance agreements in favor of oligarch Dmytro Firtash worth UAH 1.5 billion ($40.6 million). Nasalyk was earlier accused of omitting a financial liability of $1.2 million in his declaration. He did not indicate it from 2015 to 2018. Moreover, in 2022, law enforcement officers found that the former minister had failed to indicate UAH 29 million ($785,000) in his declaration.
He’s suspected of being involved in money laundering for treason suspect Viktor Medvedchuk and other sanctioned individuals. The agency confirmed that they had searched representatives of Kyiv construction companies controlled by Stolar (although the name of the MPis not specified in the message).
According to their conclusions, the UOC remains a structural unit of the ROC. The agency conducted its probe under an order of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) dated Dec. 1, 2022. The expert group included five professors, doctors of science, and one candidate of science – experts in the field of religion, church history, freedom of conscience, theology, and state-religious relations.
The official, who is suspected of corruption, wished in 2018 for a promotion, a sable coat, a trip to London, and a luxury watch, while in 2021 she wished for another London holiday, vacation in the Maldives, $1 million, and to become Kyiv’s chief tax officer. The latter came through, although her career as a state official has ended abruptly, given pending criminal corruption and abuse of power charges.
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The anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine will be marked in February, and several major international summits in support of the Ukrainian people and the peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will take place. NV reviews the biggest changes taking place.
Neither household demand for foreign currency nor increased imports of energy equipment shifted the hryvnia exchange rate in January, and bankers quizzed by NV Business were upbeat about the upcoming IMF mission and foreign aid to support Ukraine’s currency in February.
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