Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin. Photo: Bonnie Cash/UPI
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying that he made the decision because of the abuses found in the Prosecutor General’s Office that had not been stopped. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda.
Kostin’s resignation came after a meeting of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC), where senior officials discussed corruption schemes and loopholes that led to delays in mobilisation.
According to Ukrayinska Pravda, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy convened the meeting because of the discovery of fake disability documents that some government officials received to avoid service. At the same time, Kyiv Independent reports that prosecutors illegally obtained disability status, which allowed them to receive appropriate benefits.
Andriy Kostin admitted that numerous cases of abuse had been recorded in the Prosecutor General’s Office. He stressed that a large-scale audit is currently underway at all levels of government agencies, and that criminal proceedings are being investigated.
“I believe that the position of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is absolutely correct: it is necessary not only to cancel all illegal decisions on disability and payments, but also to amend legislation and organise new control mechanisms. I am grateful to the President of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada for their trust,” Kostin said.
Problems with mobilisation became apparent after the revision of the rules: some military commissariats struggled to cope with the large influx of men trying to register or update their details before the 16 July deadline. At the same time, a large number of men applied for exemption from military service.
