WASHINGTON, February 1. /TASS/. A new corruption scandal that erupted after an attempted theft of nearly $40 million in the armed forces of Ukraine has caused outrage among members of the US Congress, The American Conservative magazine reports.

It says that five people have been charged and could each face up to twelve years in prison and another individual was detained while apparently trying to flee the country. There is a version that they were conspiring with employees from a Ukrainian weapons company in an attempt to pocket nearly $40 million earmarked to purchase 100,000 mortar shells, a few months after the start of Russia's special operation in Ukraine.

"Just a few years ago, the only thing that we knew about Ukraine was that it was the most corrupt country that anyone had ever heard of. Ukraine was a laundromat to clean dirty money for dirty politicians, beginning with Hunter Biden (involved in the corruption case surrounding the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, where he was appointed a member of the board of directors - TASS)," Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, said in a phone interview with The American Conservative.

The magazine notes that, according to Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona, "this one instance of fraud is likely just the tip of the iceberg." Ukraine regularly uncovers facts of corruption in various spheres of activity, including defense. According to the Accounts Chamber, in the first six months of last year the Ukrainian Defense Ministry purchased food for military personnel at prices on average 30% higher than market prices. Amid corruption scandals, Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov was dismissed in September and Rustem Umerov was appointed instead. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing on November 15 that officials in Ukraine reportedly misappropriated from 20% to 36% of the financial aid supplied to Kiev by the West, and this primarily concerns abuses in the Defense Ministry.