Kyiv, Ukraine

Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov refuted new graft allegations related to military supplies on Tuesday (August 29), as reports of the purchase of uniforms at inflated prices amid war with Russia surfaced.

Various media outlets reported that a contract was signed by the ministry late last year with a Turkish company for supplying winter combat fatigues, however, the prices were tripled after the finalisation of the deal.

It was also determined by the Ukrainian journalists that the winter gear can be bought at considerably lower prices in Turkey. It was also reported that Oleksandre Kassai – one of the owners of the Turkish company – is also the nephew of Gennadi Kassai, who is in President Volodymyr Zelensky's party.

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Minister slams accusations as 'false'

The accusations were slammed by Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov as false who stated that the billed prices corresponded to those advertised.

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"I urge everyone to treat information more critically and responsibly because it misleads society and, worse still, it misleads our partners, as from outside you'd say it is a disaster," said Reznikov, while speaking at a news conference.

"Everything was done in accordance with the law on public procurement" and "via tender procedures," he added.

In a previous corruption scandal involving army supplies, senior Ukrainian officials were sacked from their positions in January after it was revealed in the media that a contract which was signed by the ministry for purchasing food products for soldiers had mentioned similarly overstated amounts.

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At that time, Reznikov had accepted that the anti-corruption services of his ministry had "failed in their task". At the beginning of this month, all the regional officials who were in charge of military recruitment for removing corruption were dismissed by Zelensky, a step that also allowed some conscripts to leave army service.

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Russia accuses US embassy 'informant' of passing data on Ukraine conflict

Russia on Monday (August 28) charged a former US consulate employee with the crime of illegally transferring data to American diplomats regarding the Ukraine conflict. The accusations against the US employee were protested by Washington which claimed that his activities were routine.

The Russian Security Service (FSB) further announced that it would be questioning two US diplomats present at the embassy in Moscow regarding the case breaking the diplomatic tradition.

The accusation is the latest in the multiple diplomatic spats that have built pressure on strained ties between Washington and Moscow, especially over the conflict in Ukraine.

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