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Ukraine Accuses Two Former Officials over Army Food Contracts

A girl walks past a heavily damaged residential building as workers dismantle it in the town of Irpin, on April 21, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A girl walks past a heavily damaged residential building as workers dismantle it in the town of Irpin, on April 21, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Ukraine Accuses Two Former Officials over Army Food Contracts

A girl walks past a heavily damaged residential building as workers dismantle it in the town of Irpin, on April 21, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A girl walks past a heavily damaged residential building as workers dismantle it in the town of Irpin, on April 21, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

A Ukrainian former deputy defense minister and another ministry official have been served with "notices of suspicion" accusing them of wrongdoing over contracts for food purchases for the army, the state anti-corruption agency said on Friday.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said in a statement that their actions had resulted in losses to the state of almost 12 million hryvnias ($328,000). It did not name the suspects or say how they had responded to the accusations.

The cases relate to defense ministry tenders in 2020 for the following year's food purchases for the military.

The NABU statement said the tenders had deliberately excluded requirements to transport and replenish supplies in a timely manner.

"As a result, the state incurred almost 12 million hryvnias in losses," it said.

"In addition, the actions of the suspects led to a decrease in the combat readiness and defense capability of Ukraine's Armed Forces and created a potential threat to Ukraine's national security foundations during a special period,"

The cases are not related to media accusations earlier this year that the defense ministry was overspending on food. The ministry denied the accusations.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been trying to get tough on corruption even while Russia is waging war on Ukraine.

The European Union has made addressing corruption a requirement for Ukraine joining the 27-member bloc, a process that usually takes several years.

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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an invasion from the mainland.
The island’s navy highlighted its Kuang Hua VI fast attack missile boats and Tuo Chiang-class corvettes in waters near Taiwan’s largest port of Kaohsiung, a major hub for international trade considered key to resupplying Chinese forces should they establish a beachhead on the island.
The Kuang Hua VI boats, with a crew of 19, carry indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles and displayed their ability to take to the sea in an emergency to intercept enemy ships about to cross the 44-kilometer (24-nautical mile) limit of Taiwan’s contiguous zone, within which governments are permitted to take defensive action.
China routinely sends ships and planes to challenge Taiwan’s willingness and ability to counter intruders, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets, activate missile systems and dispatch warships. Taiwan demanded on Wednesday that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said is undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupting international shipping and trade.
Mountainous Taiwan's strategy is to counter the much larger Chinese military with a relatively flexible defense that can prevent Chinese troops from crossing the strait. Landing sites are few on Taiwan's west coast facing China, forcing Beijing to focus on the east coast.
Hsiao Shun-ming, captain of a Tuo Chiang-class corvette, said his ship’s relatively small size still allows it to “deliver a formidable competitive power” against larger Chinese ships. The Tuo Chiang has a catamaran design and boasts high speeds and considerable stealth ability.
Taiwan has in recent years reinvigorated its domestic defense industry, although it still relies heavily on US technology such as upgraded fighter jets, missiles, tanks and detection equipment. US law requires it to consider threats to the island as matters of “grave concern,” and American and allied forces are expected to be a major factor in any conflict.
Thursday's exercise “demonstrates the effectiveness of asymmetric warfare, and Taiwan’s commitment to defense self-reliance,” said Chen Ming-feng, rear admiral and commander of the navy’s 192 Fleet specializing in mine detection. “We are always ready to respond quickly and can handle any kind of maritime situation.”
China's authoritarian one-party Communist government has refused almost all communication with Taiwan's pro-independence governments since 2016, and some in Washington and elsewhere say Beijing is growing closer to taking military action.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de facto independence and democratic status.