A senior Ukrainian army official accused of embezzling more than a million dollars worth of funds meant to buy military food has been detained, investigators said Thursday.

The suspect, named by Ukrainian media outlets as Oleksandr Kozlovsky, worked as head of a military department that procured food for Ukrainian soldiers.

"From 2022 to 2023, the official acquired unsubstantiated assets in the amount of almost 58 million hryvnia ($1.5 million)," the State Bureau of Investigation said.

Instead of spending the money on food for the military, he used it to make various purchases, including an apartment in Kyiv, dozens of plots of land and a car, it alleged.

Anti-corruption campaigners "Nashi Groshi" (Our Money) alleged on their website that Kozlovsky had channelled money through private companies and family members, while food went undelivered.

Since Russia invaded in February 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly vowed to fight corruption in Ukraine, where graft was rampant even before the war.

In August 2023, he dismissed all regional officials in charge of military recruitment after some had granted exemptions in return for payment.