Ukrainian authorities are investigating senior military officials in two separate cases of suspected corruption, AFP reported, as part of a crackdown on violations ahead of talks with European Union leaders.

The EU has made the fight against corruption a mandatory condition for Ukraine to join the 27-member bloc, which has been going on for many years.

The two sides are due to meet in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Friday. This is a symbolic trip by EU leaders, which aims to underline support for Ukraine as it approaches one year after the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.

Last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky made it clear that the Ministry of Defense must be clean.

In the first case, the State Bureau of Investigation reported that the court ordered the arrest of the ex-deputy minister of defense, who is suspected of involvement in the ministry’s purchases of inflated food products and low-quality equipment for the military.

The announcement followed the resignation of Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov last month after media reported that the Ministry of Defense was suspected of purchasing food at inflated prices.

The SBI reported that the detainee will be held in custody for two months if he does not post a bail of about 11 million dollars.

“The official not only knew about the supply of low-quality products, but also put pressure on subordinates to accept low-quality products for military warehouses,” he said.

In the second case, the SBU announced that it had charged two officials of the military administration of the city of Sumy with embezzlement of funds intended for the restoration of infrastructure.

“The SBU uncovered and blocked a large-scale corruption scheme,” the SBU said in a statement, adding that the two men deliberately inflated the prices of construction materials and then pocketed the difference.

In only one case, they received almost 1.4 million hryvnias ($38,000). A total of 80 facts are being investigated, the SBU reported.

Separately, the SBU said it had charged the man with illegally selling submarine spare parts to Russia before the war began.

The Security Service of Ukraine also announced that it had detained a “criminal group” accused of embezzling state funds by selling eggs and other foodstuffs at inflated prices to officials of the Ministry of Defense.