Zelensky fires Ukraine's commander of joint forces
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The reason for the dismissal is not mentioned in the Ukrainian President's decree.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen during a phone call with US President Joe Biden, in Kiev, Ukraine, October 4, 2022. (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree on Sunday to dismiss Major General Eduard Mykhailovich Moskalov from the post of commander of the Joint Forces.
Moskalov was assigned to the position last March when Lt. Gen. Oleksandr Pavliuk was appointed as the head of Kiev's regional military administration.
Despite not disclosing further details on the reasons for the dismissal, Zelensky has, for the last few months, fired several top Ukrainian officials over corruption charges, including ministers and officials from his administration.
Earlier in February, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov resigned from his position amid accusations of arms trade corruption and was replaced by the chief of military intelligence.
Read more: After admitting to Kiev's fault in Dnipro, Zelensky advisor resigns
On January 24, at least nine top civil servants were fired over corruption, including four deputy ministers and five regional governors, while numerous more high-ranking officials, including Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko and Deputy Head of Zelensky's office Kyrylo Tymoshenko, resigned.
Washington considers corruption charges an internal matter
A spokesperson for the US Department of Defense, Patrick Ryder, commenting on the corruption dismissals last January, said that the actions of Ukrainian President Zelensky to fire a number of Ukrainian officials in connection with corruption charges is an internal matter.
Ryder denied that the US government is aware of the corruption charges, even if they had a negative impact on the course of the battles there, the spokesperson claimed then.
Congress top investigative committees believe otherwise
Scrutiny over the Biden administration's Ukraine spending has spread across investigative congressional committees that are demanding Washington answer for where American taxpayer funds have gone.
Earlier, the House Foreign Affairs Committee - a standing committee of the House of Representatives with jurisdiction to audit and investigate US foreign spending - stated that it "will demand more Congressional oversight to ensure U.S. assistance for Ukraine is being spent transparently and effectively" and to "ensure there are no gaps in the oversight of U.S. economic, development and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine."
Read more: Nearly four times as many Americans say US gives ‘too much’ to Ukraine
According to a report published by The Weekly Journal news site last Wednesday, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability - the main investigative committee of the House of Representatives - announced on Wednesday that it "is conducting oversight of the federal government’s administration of U.S. taxpayer-funded assistance to Ukraine."
The Committee said it wants a comprehensive report detailing the “strategies for end-use monitoring of weapons, equipment, direct budgeting assistance," adopted by Congress regarding the military aid to Kiev.
In a letter sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Administrator Samantha Powers of the US Agency for International Development, the Committee said it is launching the most inclusive audit of the Ukraine war spending so far.
"It is critical that government agencies administering these funds ensure they are used for their intended purposes to prevent and reduce the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse," it said in a statement.
The Committee also demanded detailed documents from the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of State (State), and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for auditing, after Congress "has provided more than $113 billion for security, humanitarian, economic, and governance assistance."
