Deputy of former Ukrainian Minister of Defence appointed ambassador-at-large

Rostyslav Zamlynskyi, who served as Deputy Defence Minister for Finance and Internal Audit when Oleksii Reznikov was Defence Minister, has been appointed Ambassador-at-Large for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Source: Anti-Corruption Centre (AntAC)

Details: Staff at the Centre analysed the official's declarations and found that in the annual declaration for 2023, Zamlynskyi indicated his new position in the Foreign Ministry. The Anti-Corruption Centre assumes that the appointment probably took place in early 2024. It is reported that it is not yet known what "special assignments" Zamlynskyi is responsible for in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

AntAC also recalled that it was Zamlynskyi, as former Defence Mainiater Oleksii Reznikov’s Deputy, who dealt with financial issues and in 2022-2023 approved contracts for the purchase of food for the Defenсe Forces at inflated prices, in particular, the contract with "eggs for UAH 17" (approx. US$0.43). Vitalii Shabunin, chairman of the management board of the Anti-Corruption Centre,  commented on Zamlynskyi's appointment on his Facebook page and called this decision "madness".

"It is crazy to appoint an official who turned a blind eye to Reznikov’s corruption hell in public procurement as an ambassador-at-large. If Zamlynskyi's official duties concern weapons in any way, such a decision is criminal."

Background:

• Ukrainian news outlet ZN.ua reported on 21 January 2023 that the Ministry of Defence was purchasing food for military personnel at a price two or three times higher than in Kyiv shops. The December agreement with Active Company was signed on behalf of the Ministry by Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, who was involved in the case of embezzlement of US$580,000 during the purchase of military ammunition.
• Information about "chicken eggs for UAH 17" received special publicity: the journalists’ investigation referred to the price per egg. 
• The Ministry of Defence called the information about expensive food misleading and manipulative and promised to appeal to the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), while the then Minister of Defence, Oleksii Reznikov, denied accusations against the Defence Ministry. Later, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Reznikov admitted that he had been too emotional and promised to thoroughly check all the facts revealed by the journalists. 
• Deputy Defence Minister Viacheslav Shapovalov resigned and was dismissed on 24 January amid a scandal over purchases of military products at inflated prices. Bohdan Khmelnytskyi was also dismissed as director of the procurement department of the Ministry of Defence, as was announced on 25 January.
• On 30 January 2023, PM Denys Shmyhal instructed that an update be made to the public procurement system for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to include the publication of prices for food and goods. 

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