Nuland: US auditors arrive in Ukraine to ensure ‘no aid or weapons are diverted.’

This week, the U.S. has its auditors working in Ukraine alongside the World Bank and Deloitte consultants to make sure that “no aid or weapons are diverted,” U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said on Jan. 26.

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On Jan. 23, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU)* said that it had begun investigating possible corruption in the Defense Ministry’s food procurement.

The statement followed an investigation by Ukrainian news outlet ZN.UA**, which alleged that the Defense Ministry was buying food for soldiers at inflated prices, indicating a possible corruption scheme.

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The Kiev Purge: Turmoil in the Capital

The anti-graft stories are being driven by media outlets connected with Ukraine’s Western partners and Poroshenko, who has become Zelensky’s main competitor, since the latter had opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk jailed. For example, on January 23, a number of pro-Western journalists launched a direct attack on Andrey Yermak – the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and a key player in the system.

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The combat operations in Ukraine merely accelerated these processes. In fact, only three powers can now speak out against the Zelensky-Yermak team— Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko and his cabinet, the army led by Valery Zaluzhny, and US-controlled structures such as NABU and media affiliated with them. At the same time, decisions regarding resignations are made exclusively by Zelensky and Yermak, who by all means wish to hush up the scandals.

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Notes:

*International Renaissance Foundation

The foundation and its grantees were active supporters of the creation of the *National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine in 2014, and helped lawmakers develop a new anticorruption law that required public officials to declare their assets.

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The foundation has supported the development of independent media outlets in Ukraine and has supported a range of fact-checking initiatives and other efforts to counter disinformation and promote informed public debate.

*Dzerkalo Tyzhnia – Wikipedia:

Dzerkalo Tyzhnia is partially funded by Western non-governmental organizations. The paper is widely read and highly regarded among Ukrainian business and political elites which largely explains its political influence.