The latest corruption cases uncovered in Ukraine are shocking. The most alarming aspect is that the funds obtained through corruption were laundered in Russia. According to NABU, Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption bureau, illegally obtained funds were being transferred abroad, including to Russia. This suggests that the corruption mafia, which reportedly includes close associates of President Zelensky, was cooperating with Russia.

Axar.az reports that these remarks were made by political analyst Heydar Oguz.

He noted that, under these circumstances, it is unrealistic to expect the war, in which hundreds of people die daily, to end soon:

“Both Russian and Ukrainian officials are profiting from this war; who would agree to close a source of income?”

Furthermore, this is not a newly emerged scandal. Less than a year after the start of the Ukraine-Russia war—in early 2023—Kyiv was already shaken by a corruption scandal. Several high-ranking officials, including the Prosecutor General, the Minister of Community and Territorial Development, the Minister of Social Policy, and Deputy Ministers of Defense, resigned. It appears that the Ukrainian authorities did not draw sufficient lessons from the first scandal and continued to misappropriate state assets.

The recent corruption scandal gains a completely different dimension with the involvement of Zelensky’s associate Timur Mindich. According to reports, Timur Mindich and his associates were in Warsaw, Poland, until Tuesday. As soon as the anti-corruption operation began, they disappeared, and later reports suggested they were in Tel Aviv. Interestingly, it is claimed that these individuals are also Israeli citizens, which reportedly allowed them easier access to international financial centers.

It should be noted that, in connection with this large-scale corruption case, two Ukrainian ministers—the Justice Minister (and former Energy Minister) Galushenko and Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk—have been dismissed.