Ukraine’s defense ministry reschedules election of anti-corruption council members
Source: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
Ukraine’s defense ministry is facing unpleasant questions after it annulled the results of the vote for members of the Public Anti-Corruption Council and postponed the new election on Thursday.
The ministry blamed technical issues, citing “website instability and user authentication errors”, and promised it will fix it before the rescheduled vote.
“The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine sincerely apologizes for the technical malfunctions that occurred during the online voting for members of the Public Anti-Corruption Council,” the ministry stated.
The vote is now set to take place on January 7, 2025. The move raise eyebrows with some civil activists calling out the defense ministry over what they call a ‘deliberate disruption’. Among those is Yurii Hudymenko, a war veteran and Democratic Axe civic group leader, who is aso running for a position in the recently established council that must oversee procurement programs in the ministry.
Hudymenko argued that some individuals reported their votes before the official start of the election, suggesting irregularities in the process. “It’s as if the ballots were already in the box before the voting even began,” he added.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.
Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest Group has completed the construction of an upgraded underground NATO Role 2 hospital in one of the hottest sectors of the frontline. This is the second stabilization point established under the Steel Front initiative in cooperation with the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The new facility, funded by Metinvest with an investment of UAH 21 million, is more secure than the first one thanks to its deeper location underground (over 6 meters) and additional fortifications.
Five armored vehicles “Kozak” have received a new mission – thanks to the support of Metinvest, they have been upgraded to full-fledged command and staff vehicles. These upgraded vehicles are now operating on the front line.