Analysis-Zelenskiy purges officials to keep Ukrainians and West onside

FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and top officials attend a meeting of the National Security and Defence Council, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 30, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

KYIV (Reuters) - The biggest shake-up of Ukraine's government since Russia's full-scale invasion underlines President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's need to show key Western partners and war-weary Ukrainians that he is serious about tackling corruption and punishing misrule.

The abrupt exit of more than a dozen officials in recent days followed a series of scandals and graft allegations, including one involving the Defence Ministry that had sparked a public outcry despite being denied.