文/Junjian
The war in Ukraine has heated up rapidly in the severe cold winter. At present, the Russian army is firing left and right in Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, and at the same time it has suppressed the Ukrainian army. Kiev has suffered repeated defeats. Zelenskiy seems to be furious and has ordered a wave of purges against high-level Ukrainian government officials.
(The situation on the Ukrainian frontline is urgent)
According to reports from the Reference News Network and other media, When the situation on the Ukrainian frontline is urgent, there is also an "earthquake" in the political arena due to the "corruption storm" in the rear. First, the Ukrainian military discovered scandals in food procurement and other aspects, so much so that Ukraine's deputy defense minister Shapovalov was forced to take responsibility for the "inflated contract" and voluntarily resigned. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense refused to admit the accusation, but still suggested that Shapovalov's resignation would "restore trust."
(Russian air strikes led to long-term blackouts, water and heating outages in Ukraine, and the corruption problem of emergency supplies in Ukraine broke out)
In addition to the top brass of the Ukrainian military, Kiev, Zaporozhye, Sumy, Kherson, and Dnipropetrovsk also experienced a wave of military and political "departures." It is not difficult to see that these states are either core areas of Ukraine, frontline states, or important logistics supply areas. Zelensky also approved the resignations of many other senior government officials, including even his own deputy chief of staff, Kirilo Tymoshenko. In addition, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested the country’s Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Lozinsky on suspicion of bribery.
(Deputy Director of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Kirill Tymoshenko)
Regarding this high-level shock, Zelensky publicly claimed that this was just the beginning, and there would be "more" in the future. Moreover, he ordered to strengthen the management of the army. Anyone who leaves his post without authorization or resists his superiors will be severely punished.
Judging from the current situation, the most direct reason why Zelensky launched the "big purge" is that Ukraine is indeed extremely corrupt. From the reported situation, it is enough to see that there are various problems of "official-business collusion" in Ukraine, and many aids and donated materials have actually become tools for Ukrainian officials to make money. Zelensky can no longer turn a blind eye to this situation.
(Zelensky)
In fact, after the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out last year, the international community has repeatedly pointed out that Ukraine’s military aid management is not in place, and even Western weapons and materials aiding Ukraine have flowed into the black market, and some have been “returned” to Europe. Russian President Putin has clearly warned that Western weapons have appeared on the black market, which is a "serious problem." Finland, Sweden, Denmark and other countries have also claimed that many of the weapons used to aid Ukraine have appeared on the black market. Obviously, the interest chain of Ukrainian military has always existed. Although Shapovalov has been killed now, Zelensky himself may not be able to do anything about the huge interest chain.
(Zelensky and Ukrainian Army Commander Zaluzhny)
From the perspective of the external environment, Zelensky’s purge operation may also be to strengthen his leadership position. In fact, Zelenskiy has been interfering in Ukrainian military operations, and the conflicts between the two sides have long been public, especially the dispute between him and Ukrainian army commander Zaluzhny, which is no longer a secret. This time around Zelensky’s purge, the Ukrainian military’s rejection of the charges is also a clear signal. Obviously, as the Russian army quickly broke through the Ukrainian army's defense line, Zelensky was eager to directly control Ukraine's military and political system. Therefore, he needed to establish his prestige through a major purge, and at the same time, he needed to cultivate "obedient" middle management. As for Tymoshenko 's resignation, it may be a "demonstration" to avoid external accusations of Zelensky's "nepotism."
(U.S. weapons and ammunition assistance to Ukraine)
In short, Ukraine does have a situation of "tightening at the front and tight at the rear", but there may be more complex motives behind Zelensky's actions.The great purge of in Kiev may also imply that the war situation is indeed extremely unfavorable to Ukraine. Russia's military operations have already posed a major test to Kiev.
