Latest news with #Hr
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
Ex-Ukrainian military official suspected of $290,000 in illicit enrichment
A former head of one of the key departments in the Logistics Forces of Ukraine's Armed Forces is suspected of illicit enrichment worth Hr 12 million ($290,000) and illegal possession of weapons, the State Investigation Bureau (DBR) and the National Agency on Corruption Prevention announced on June 9. Ukraine's military has seen several corruption scandals since the start of Russia's full-scale war, related to illicit enrichment, money laundering, bribery, and misconduct of the command. The agencies did not disclose the suspect's name, who faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. During 2023-2024, the ex-head of the department purchased 14 land plots in Kyiv Oblast, an apartment, a Toyota Tundra, a Skoda Octavia, a Hyundai Tucson, and domestic government bonds issued by Ukraine's Finance Ministry, according to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention. Meanwhile, the suspect and his family had no financial means to purchase these assets, the agency's statement reads. While searching the suspect's house, law enforcement officers also found weapons and ammunition stored illegally. The preventative measures for the suspect are now being considered. Ukraine's Logistics Forces, established in 2018, are in charge of providing supplies and technical maintenance for the Ukrainian troops on the front line. This branch of the armed forces is also responsible for adapting the Ukrainian army to NATO standards, particularly in the field of logistics. Read also: Exclusive: Ukraine could face 500+ Russian drones a night as Kremlin builds new launch sites We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ukrainian military responds to commander's claim of no state-supplied FPV drones for 3rd Brigade
Ukraine's Armed Forces responded to recent comments by Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the 3rd Army Corps, who claimed that the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade had not received any state-supplied (first-person-view) FPV drones for three months, Babel reported on June 2. The 3rd Brigade, which formed the basis for the formation of the 3rd Army Corps, is seen as one of the most battle-hardened Ukrainian units. Many of its members include Azov veterans. In a written response to a request from Babel, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the brigade had received a total of 7,992 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of various types between Jan. 1 and May 27. The military did not clarify whether that number included FPV drones. According to the military's logistics service, units are provided with a list of available equipment and may select what they need. All requests submitted by the 3rd Assault Brigade were reportedly fulfilled. The brigade must submit a separate request to the Defense Ministry for targeted funding if it requires a specific modification that is not in stock, the response read. That was the case in May, when the 3rd Assault Brigade received funds for procurement, the logistics department told Babel. In total, the state reportedly allocated Hr 151.5 million (about $3.6 million) to the brigade in 2025 for drone purchases. As of May 28, 57% of those funds had been spent. Biletskyi made his comments in an interview published May 11 with journalist Yurii Butusov. "I'd like to 'thank' the Defense Ministry — for three months, the 3rd Assault Brigade did not receive a single FPV drone," Biletskyi said. "We were severely lacking (the drones,) " he added. "Without the FPVs supplied by the state, we really dried out during these three months, because the front line is huge." Biletskyi also said the supply flow of drones to his unit has fluctuated. "In some periods, we received 30–40% of what was needed, and that mattered." Drones have proven especially effective during Ukraine's full-scale war with Russia, with both sides using them extensively on the front lines and for strikes beyond the battlefield. Read also: Ultimate guide on how drones changed warfare in Ukraine We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukraine offers $4,800 bonus to new doctors in rural, combat zones
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has approved a one-time payment of Hr 200,000 ($4,800) for medical school graduates who accept positions at health care facilities in rural areas or active combat zones, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on May 30, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. The new measure, set to take effect in 2025, is aimed at addressing critical staffing shortages in front-line and underserved regions from which many residents — and professionals — have fled due to ongoing Russian attacks. "Along with security and defense, investment in human capital is a cross-cutting policy of the government and the state," Shmyhal said. "This is effective support for young specialists and a means of overcoming the shortage of medical personnel in the regions." Ukraine has faced growing difficulties maintaining access to essential services in embattled territories, with hospitals and clinics particularly affected by Russia's war. Taras Melnychuk, the Cabinet's representative in parliament, said the bonus will be available to interns beginning in 2025. To qualify, candidates must complete training in a medical specialty and sign a contract for at least three years with a state or municipal health care facility located either in a rural area or in an active combat zone. They must also apply for a vacancy listed at the time of submission via the Unified Job Portal and be employed at a facility where staffing in medical positions does not exceed 75%. The initiative is part of Ukraine's broader effort to stabilize front-line communities, which continue to face mounting pressure under Russian fire. Read also: Ukraine attacks elite Russian unit base nearly 7,000km away in Vladivostok, source claims We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's fugitive ex-security council deputy secretary detained in Spain
A former first deputy secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, wanted for abuse of office, was detained in Spain, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced on May 14. The statement did not name the ex-official, but details of the case indicate it relates to Oleh Hladkovsky, a former first deputy secretary of Ukraine's top security body who has been wanted since mid-April. Hladkovsky was dismissed and charged in 2019 with purchasing military vehicles at artificially inflated prices, allegedly costing the state more than Hr 17 million (now $410,000). Spanish law enforcement agencies detained the fugitive on May 14. Efforts to extradite him to Ukraine are underway, NABU said. The ex-official, who was a long-time business partner and associate of former President Petro Poroshenko, was detained in October 2019, but the court released Hladkovsky from detention in March 2022 while the investigation was still ongoing. NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said that after his release, Hladkovsky, aged 55, stopped appearing in court and went abroad. Men aged 18-60 are prohibited from leaving the country under martial law, save for some exceptions. In 2022, pictures of Hladkovsky in Warsaw surfaced, with Ukraine's Border Guard saying he left abroad for humanitarian work. The High Anti-Corruption Court ordered Hladkovsky's arrest on May 13, this time in absentia. Hladkovsky was charged with abuse of official position and providing false information on income. According to the investigation, Hladkovsky, along with an ex-deputy defense minister and a director of the ministry's military-technical policy department, purchased MAZ 6317 trucks at inflated prices in 2017. The car manufacturer was a subsidiary of the Auto Assembly Plant No. 2, which was a part of Hladkovsky's Bohdan Corporation. In February 2019, an investigation by connected Hladkovsky's son, Ihor, to an extensive corruption scheme in Ukraine's defense industry. Read also: EU agrees on 17th package of Russia sanctions targeting 'shadow fleet' We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-deputy head of President's Office released on over $430,000 bail amid corruption probe
Andrii Smyrnov, the former deputy head of the President's Office, was released from custody on bail of Hr 18 million ($433,000), Suspilne news outlet reported on May 6, citing the High Anti-Corruption Court. A day earlier, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a pre-trial restraint on Smyrnov in the form of detention with the right to post bail of Hr 18 million ($435,000) until May 22. Speaking to Suspilne following the ruling, Smyrnov said he would fight the charges and prove his innocence. "I consider this decision unfair," he said, adding: "I will fight and prove that I am right." Smyrnov is under investigation for allegedly legalizing illicit assets and accepting a bribe worth $100,000. Smyrnov held the position of the President's Office deputy head from September 2019 until March 2024, when President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed him without naming a reason. His lawyer argued that the prosecution failed to present new evidence or justify the need for detention, calling the request "unsubstantiated." The defense maintains that the case has not progressed in over six months and lacks grounds for such a restrictive measure. According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), Smyrnov acquired assets worth more than Hr 17 million ($408,000) between 2020-2022, although he officially reported his salary and savings for the time period as Hr 1.3 million ($31,200). Smyrnov reportedly purchased two luxury cars, two motorcycles, several parking spaces, an apartment in Lviv, and a land plot in Zakarpattia Oblast. In an effort to cover up his ownership of the assets, NABU said that he transferred the majority of the property assets to his brother, but secretly retained access. On April 16, Smyrnov was charged with new offenses. Between 2019 and 2021, Smyrnov allegedly laundered nearly Hr 6.5 million ($156,000) by funding the construction of seaside homes in Odesa Oblast registered under another company, according to NABU. After his indictment in May 2024, the properties were re-registered under a trustee's name. Investigators say Smyrnov also accepted $100,000 worth of construction services in 2022 in exchange for using his influence to sway a tender decision by Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee. Read also: Who are Russia's allies, and can Kremlin's war machine survive without them? We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
