KIEV, March 25 - Ukraine on Wednesday dramatically arrested two top officials on graft charges at a televised government meeting, sending a clear anti-corruption message across the board.

The dramatic shake-up came as the beleaguered authorities, already struggling to combat pro-Russian separatists in the country's east, tried to make good on pledges to tackle rampant graft and curb the influence of the country's powerful business magnates.

Police detained Serhiy Bochkovskiy, director of Ukraine's state emergencies service, and his deputy Vasyl Stoyetskiy, in full glare of journalists and photographers, accusing them of "high-level" corruption.

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said the sight of handcuffed officials being marched out of a government meeting served as a warning to other officials suspected of graft, with international backers in the West demanding Ukraine stamp out corruption.

"This will happen to everyone who breaks the law and sneers at the Ukrainian state," Yatseniuk said, AFP reported.

"When the country is at war and when we are counting every penny, they steal from people," he added.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the two men were suspected of overpaying for public procurements from companies including Russian oil giant Lukoil, and channeling the excess funds into offshore accounts.

The arrests come hours after President Petro Poroshenko dismissed billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskiy as the governor of the key industrial region of Dnipropetrovsk after a dispute over control of the country's largest oil producer ended up with armed men storming the offices of two state-controlled oil firms.

Kolomoyskiy played a crucial role in suppressing a pro-Russian unrest in the region a year ago. He turned the region into a Ukrainian bastion and logistics center in the war against the Russian aggression in the east.

Poroshenko replaced Kolomoyskiy with Valentyn Reznichenko, who served as the governor of Zaporizhia region before the latest appointment.

Kolomoyskiy’s political influence grew significantly over the past 10 months with some accusing him of using access to state resources, such as state oil companies, to benefit his business interests.

The resignation comes amid growing tensions between the governor and Kolomoyskiy over control of two state oil companies that have been run by managers loyal to Kolomoyskiy.

The standoff culminated recently with the deployment of ‘volunteer battalions,’ seen by many as Kolomoyskiy’s private army, for protection of UkrTransNafta and UkrNafta headquarters to prevent the reshuffle of managers.

Poroshenko has repeatedly said all armed persons within the headquarters must be disarmed, and the companies must obey the government’s decision to reshuffle the managers. (nr/ez)