Ukraine’s deputy defense minister Viacheslav Shapovalov has resigned after allegations of corruption surfaced in the media.
Shapovalov submitted his resignation after a “campaign of accusations related to the procurement of food supply (to the Armed Forces of Ukraine),” according to a statement from the ministry, which described the allegations as “unfounded and baseless.”
The minister was responsible for the logistics of the Armed Forces, the statement said.
On Monday, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said that it was investigating “high-profile media reports about possible abuses by the Ministry of Defense in the procurement of food for the military.”
In his resignation letter, Shapovalov said he was leaving so as not to distract from the war effort.
“Due to the large public outcry, which was largely provoked by unsubstantiated manipulations around the issue of supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there are risks of destabilizing the army supply processes. This is unacceptable during the war with Russia," reads the letter.
"In this situation, the priority is to ensure the stable work of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and to create conditions for transparent, unbiased inspections by law enforcement and other authorized bodies.”