KYIV, Ukraine, Jan 24, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Five regional governors and four deputy ministers are stepping down in Ukraine against the backdrop of several corruption scandals, a senior official said Tuesday.

They include the heads of the central Dnipropetrovsk region, the northeastern Sumy region, the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as the region surrounding the capital Kyiv, according to Oleg Nemchinov, a senior government official.

Nemchinov also announced the dismissal of a deputy defence minister, two deputy ministers of development of communities and territories, and a deputy minister of social policy.