“We have launched an internal audit that checks all procurement systems. It is still in progress,” Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov said. “And I think that within a week, they should officially complete the audit of all of the procedures for February. Then they will audit everything. And then, it will be ‘put on the table’ for appropriate decisions.”

Some context: President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent anti-corruption push is viewed as a key step toward Ukraine’s possible admission into the European Union.

Rooting out corruption is “an important dimension of the EU accession process,” said Ana Pisonero, a spokesperson for the European Commission, on Jan. 24.

Ukrainian authorities uncovered stashes of cash, as well as luxury watches and cars, during raids carried out across the country last month.

Among those caught up in the investigations is the acting head of the Kyiv tax authority, who was allegedly part of a scheme to overlook $1.2 billion worth of Ukrainian hryvnia in unpaid taxes.

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Reznikov was echoing repeated warnings from Ukrainian officials in recent weeks about an anticipated spring offensive from Moscow’s forces. Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said Tuesday that the coming months of the war will be “defining.”

Ukraine’s General Staff, in its daily morning update on Thursday, said Russian forces were “active in reconnaissance and preparing for an offensive.”

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