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.



Man Suspected of Killing French Mosque Worshipper Surrenders to Police in Italy

A protestor holds a sign reading "Islamophobia, Muslims in danger" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)
A protestor holds a sign reading "Islamophobia, Muslims in danger" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)
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Man Suspected of Killing French Mosque Worshipper Surrenders to Police in Italy

A protestor holds a sign reading "Islamophobia, Muslims in danger" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)
A protestor holds a sign reading "Islamophobia, Muslims in danger" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)

A man suspected of killing a Muslim worshipper in a French mosque has turned himself in to police in Italy, authorities said Monday.
French police began searching for the suspect after the attack Friday in the former mining town of La Grand Combe in southern France. The assailant recorded the attack on his phone, and security camera footage showed him shouting insults at God, local media said.
The French interior minister’s office said Monday that the suspect had surrendered to police in Italy, without elaborating.
Local prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini said Sunday that investigators are taking into account “the possibility that this was an Islamophobic act. It’s the one we’re working on first, but it’s not the only one,” he said.
The suspect is a man born in France in 2004, who lived in the area and did not have a criminal record, The Associated Press quoted the prosecutor as saying.
“Racism and hatred based on religion will never have a place in France,” French President Emmanuel Macron said. “Religious freedom is inviolable.”
The Grand Mosque of Paris condemned the attack in a statement and said the victim, a young man identified only as Aboubakar in French media, had just finished cleaning the mosque when he was killed.
A march was held Sunday at La Grand Combe in support of the victim and a gathering against anti-Islam crimes was held in Paris.