‘Results Have Already Been Achieved’: Zelensky Says Arrests Mark Progress in SBU Anti-Corruption Probe

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday evening that he had received reports from high-ranking officials on the progress of an anti-corruption probe within Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU).

His comments came after news that the SBU’s internal security unit had detained the logistics chief of the Air Force Command and the head of the SBU’s Zhytomyr regional office over embezzlement allegations.

In a Telegram post, Zelensky said he had tasked acting SBU head Yevhenii Khmara and SBU Major General Oleksandr Poklad with “working to cleanse the Service of those whose interests are not aligned with Ukraine.”

“Results have already been achieved. Today, corresponding detentions took place, and it is very important that fair verdicts follow,” the president said.

In a statement published earlier on Wednesday, the SBU said it had exposed a scheme to embezzle funds from the defense budget of Ukraine, in which high-ranking officials of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the SBU were involved.

Khmara described wartime corruption as “an unacceptable phenomenon, which we will continue to eradicate uncompromisingly.”

“We continue the course of self-purification of the Service and other components of the Defense Forces. This is a critically important area of ​​work, because corruption during war can be equated with treason,” he said.

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Zaluzhny Tops Trust Poll as Military Leaders Outrank Ukraine’s Top Politicians

A new KIIS survey found that former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhny remains Ukraine’s most trusted public figure, with 73% support. Military and security leaders dominated the rankings, with Robert “Madyar” Brovdi recording the highest net trust score and Kyrylo Budanov also posting strong results. The findings suggest Ukrainians continue to place greater confidence in wartime military leaders than in many political figures.

His comments echoed those of the head of state. “Everyone in public office must work for Ukraine and for the sake of Ukraine. There will be no other option,” Zelensky said.

Previously, a large-scale corruption scandal in Ukraine’s energy sector – uncovered in November as the civilian population struggled to survive in freezing temperatures and under relentless Russian bombardment – saw the resignations of the country’s justice and energy ministers and shook the foundations of Zelensky’s government.