Zelensky launches sweeping military purge, holds private talks with British generals

All of the regional conscription officials have been fired and will be replaced by combat veterans, the Ukrainian president has said.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has sacked all of the regional military officials responsible for the country’s conscription campaign following a string of corruption scandals. Those who were not involved in any quid pro quo schemes can keep their military rank only if they head to the frontline.

The Ukrainian leader announced the purge on Friday, after holding a ‘special’ meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, which focused on the results of an inspection of the country’s military recruitment offices.

“Our decisions are the following: We are dismissing all regional ‘military commissars’. This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery in times of war constitute treason,” Zelensky said.

Offering a peak at the scale of the problem, Zelensky revealed that Ukrainian authorities had opened 112 criminal cases against officials working in territorial recruitment centers, with a total of 33 suspects. He noted that the suspects included commissars, medical commissions employees, and other officials across six regions.

“Some took cash, some took cryptocurrency – that’s the only difference. The cynicism is the same everywhere,” he stated, vowing that those found guilty would be held accountable.

At the same time, Zelensky continued, if innocent officials do “want to keep their shoulder marks and prove their dignity, they should go to the war front.”

According to the Ukrainian leader, the fired personnel will be replaced by combat veterans or those unfit for military action due to crippling injuries, but who have still “retained their dignity,” as these are people who “have no cynicism” and “can be entrusted with this system of recruitment.”

The announcement comes after Kiev’s authorities exposed a massive conspiracy scheme, which allegedly allowed Ukrainian recruits to purchase fraudulent medical certificates to avoid conscription. Another scandal involved Evgeny Borisov, a former senior conscription officer in Odessa Region, who was arrested by Ukrainian law enforcement after being accused of illicit enrichment.

Ukrainian media outlets have also reported that after Kiev announced a general mobilization in February 2022, members of Borisov’s family bought a villa in Spain and other luxury items to the tune of several million dollars.

‘Closed talks’ with top British generals

The discussions took place amid growing Western disappointment with the slow progress of Kiev’s counteroffensive.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky says he has held talks with the UK’s top military leadership and has stated that more weapons are being readied for delivery to Kiev.

In a video address published to his Telegram channel on Wednesday, Zelensky described the meeting as “closed, but productive.” He did not, however, elaborate on any specific details of the talks, stating only that new packages of military aid are being prepared for Ukraine, including air defense systems.

His statement came on the same day that the head of his office, Andrey Ermak, said representatives of the Ukrainian army had also held talks with the US military, specifically with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.

“On behalf of Vladimir Zelensky, a meeting was held in the format of a videoconference between representatives of the military-political leadership of Ukraine and the United States, dedicated to the situation at the frontline as well as defense cooperation,” wrote Ermak in a Telegram post, calling it “a very substantive and fundamental conversation.”

He said that Ukrainian commanders briefed US officials on the current situation on the battlefield and reported on the offensive actions of Kiev’s troops in key sectors.

Ermak noted that during the talks, the Ukrainian side emphasized the key needs of its forces as well as the need to increase the defenses of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure to repel Russian air strikes.

The US officials reassured Kiev that it will receive support “for as long as it is needed,” the presidential aide said.

Ukrainian officials have consistently been demanding more and more military support from the US and its allies – even more so since it launched its much-anticipated counteroffensive earlier this summer.

Meanwhile, a number of Western officials have expressed concern that Kiev’s counterattack may have already run out of steam and will most likely fail to achieve its goal of pushing Russian forces back to Ukraine’s 1991 borders.

In an interview with the Washington Post published on Thursday, Polish President Andrzej Duda stated that Ukraine needs significantly more military assistance to have a chance at changing the balance of the conflict and getting the upper hand.

Moscow, in turn, has repeatedly urged the West to stop “pumping” weapons into Ukraine, warning that continued military aid will only prolong the conflict and inflict more destruction upon the country, without changing the final outcome.