Ukrainian Lawmaker Alleges Corruption in Military

(MENAFN) Ukrainian parliamentarian Anna Skorokhod has raised serious concerns about rampant corruption and the coercion of combat wages by military leaders, which she claims is prompting troops to desert their posts.

In a recently released video on her YouTube channel, Skorokhod alleged that commanders are taking advantage of servicemen by fraudulently marking them as active in frontline combat, enabling the officers to pocket the additional hazard pay intended for those risking their lives.

According to Skorokhod, military leaders frequently assign soldiers to personal labor, such as “build houses or renovate new apartments,” while officially categorizing them as being engaged in battle.

This manipulation allows commanders to secure combat pay for the troops, which is then appropriated.

She further stated, “Or the soldiers are simply being extorted, because they supposedly get 100,000 hryvnia [$2,400], but there is no command, so they are forced to give up money.”

The lawmaker explained that troops have limited options for reporting these abuses, which has led to a growing trend of desertion.

“Because when there’s nowhere to turn, no one listens or wants to listen, people simply gather in platoons, in groups, and leave because they will not tolerate this,” she said.

Skorokhod’s remarks, shared via her online platform and echoed by Ukrainian media, underscore a deepening morale crisis within Ukraine’s armed forces, driven by internal exploitation and a lack of accountability among commanding officers.

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