International pressure paid off German tanks Leoparddespite his initial reticence Berlin. According to the exclusive information of the German magazine Der Spiegel, after many months of discussions, the Chancellor Olaf Soltz persuaded to send much coveted tanks to Ukraine, and the allies also expect to help with the Ukrainian arsenal: United States of America seem ready to give Tanks Abramsby request Germany. Recall that yesterday Warsaw officially submitted a request to Berlin for permission to supply the Leopard to Ukraine, while Bloomberg expects that the Soltz government will respond within the current week and will be positive.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said yesterday that his country and other Western countries, which he did not name, are already training on their soil. Ukrainian soldiers in the use of “Leopard”, apparently counting on a positive response from Germany. In addition, Morawiecki said that Warsaw would seek compensation from the EU. for the tanks that he will supply to the Ukrainian army. Earlier, two U.S. officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the Biden administration was preparing to eventually send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, something it has so far avoided, citing logistical problems.

In the 11 months since the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s often tumultuous internal conflict has come to a halt as national unity prevails in the face of an external threat. However, yesterday Vladimir Zelensky broke an informal moratorium by firing a number of senior government officials who, according to recent reports in the Ukrainian press, were implicated in provocative corruption cases.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has fired a number of high-ranking government officials who were reportedly involved in provocative corruption cases.

In total, 11 officials were dismissed by yesterday evening – four deputy ministers, five regional governors, a deputy prosecutor general and a deputy director of the presidential administration. “The president sees and hears society. And this directly responds to the central demand of public opinion – justice for all,” said the chief adviser to the president, Mikaylo Podoliak.

The most delicate case concerns Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, who is accused of artificially “inflating” his ministry’s bills to supply Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines and in the rear with their daily meals. A similar fate befell Deputy Infrastructure Minister Vasily Lozinsky, who was accused of misappropriating public funds intended for the purchase of generators needed in connection with Russian bombing of the country’s energy system.

Important for the prestige of the Ukrainian authorities were two more cases that outraged public opinion. Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko was vacationing during the Christmas holidays in Marbella, Spain, and Deputy Director of the Office of the President Kyrylo Tymoshenko, who had already appeared in the media for his irresistible attraction to luxury cars, was accused of embezzling international humanitarian aid in the Zaporozhye region.

In addition to domestic political costs for the Zelensky government, corruption cases threatened to undermine Ukraine’s image in the eyes of its Western allies, on whose economic and military assistance it is directly dependent. In this light, it is wise for the Ukrainian president to respond decisively to the corruption cases, especially at this juncture when he is pressing the West for upgraded weapons systems, including heavy tanks.