Ukraine's resignations of 24 January 2023: what they signalled
A look back at the wave of departures from senior posts as a nationwide anti-corruption campaign began.
What did it mean when a string of senior Ukrainian officials stepped down on 24 January 2023? As reported at the time, the resignations came as a nationwide anti-corruption campaign was launched in the country.
Among those who left was Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. Four deputy ministers also resigned, as did five regional governors. Together, the departures made up one of the broadest clear-outs of officials reported in the country in that period.
The reports linked the resignations to the start of the anti-corruption campaign, which was described as nationwide in scope. They did not set out individual reasons for each departure, and this review does not assign any.
A busy news moment
The domestic shake-up came amid heavy attention to the war. Two days earlier, on 22 January 2023, German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock said Germany would not prevent Poland from sending Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine. Ukrainian officials had said those tanks were pivotal to defeating Russian forces.
The two developments were separate, and the reports did not connect them. Together they show a period in which Ukraine was handling both military supply questions abroad and a visible personnel and integrity drive at home.
