Ukraine fires two ministers as corruption crisis spreads anger

By Dan Peleschuk and Yuliia Dysa

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian lawmakers fired two ministers ensnared in a major corruption probe on Wednesday and called for more sweeping measures to restore faith in the country's leadership as the scandal provokes the country's biggest wartime political crisis.

The investigation into an alleged $100 million plot to control contracting at the state nuclear agency has stirred fresh anger at pervasive graft, including in President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's inner circle, as a fourth winter of war approaches.

Parliament voted to dismiss Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who served as energy minister from 2021 until this year, and his successor, Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk. Both deny wrongdoing in the case.

Late on Tuesday, a court ordered a former deputy prime minister into custody on charges related to the case.

Previously, five people were arrested and two suspects still at large were charged, including a co-owner of the production company behind the sitcom where Zelenskiy gained fame as a TV star before his election in 2019.

CALLS FOR MORE ACTION

Opposition forces have demanded a more forceful response to a scandal that has rattled Kyiv's political class, including the dismissal of the entire government and Zelenskiy's powerful chief of staff.

Some members of Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party, whose majority has anchored parliament throughout the war, called for "a government of national resilience" and a presidential administration that was "maximally transparent".

Mykyta Poturayev, a lawmaker who posted the statement, suggested the president should use the crisis as "an opportunity to cleanse and renew his inner circle, to strengthen trust in the institution of the head of state."

Corruption allegations are particularly damaging as Ukraine courts critical foreign funds to keep its economy afloat, even as Russian troops are grinding forward on the battlefield.

PAINFUL REVELATIONS

The probe, which has captivated the public with leaked tapes of suspects discussing damning details, is the latest in a series of scandals that have shaken wartime Ukraine.

Anti-corruption authorities have stepped up their fight against graft since Russia's 2022 invasion, aiming to reassure donors and prove that Kyiv is ready for membership in the European Union.

However, that has meant painful public revelations of the high-level sleaze that has long plagued Ukraine.

Zelenskiy has pledged an overhaul of the energy sector and imposed sanctions on the scandal's main suspect, Timur Mindich, co-owner of the Kvartal-95 TV production company that launched Zelenskiy's career.

Officials say Mindich has left the country. His studio says he no longer plays a decision-making role there.

Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said forming a cabinet would likely be difficult, as would-be ministers weigh the risk to their own reputations: "There are practically no takers to join a new government," he said on Ukrainian television.

(Writing by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Conor Humphries, Peter Graff)