Afrasianet - Corruption scandals continue to unfold in Ukraine, with Ukrainian lawmaker Alexander Dubinsky, who is being held in custody on charges of high treason, said that Volodymyr Zelensky's wife Elena Zelenskaya is in the recordings of the corruption case.
Dubinsky posted on his Telegram channel: "Elena Zielinskaya is in Mendych's recordings. She was solving something about her payments."
On November 10, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Office announced that it had carried out a large-scale operation in the energy sector, and published photos of bags full of packages of foreign currency found during the operation.
Member of Parliament Jaroslav Zelezniak also reported that the bureau was conducting searches at the home of former energy minister and current justice minister German Galushenko, as well as at the company "Energoatom". The newspaper "Ukrainska Pravda" quoted a source as saying that the bureau's staff also searched the home of businessman and ally of Vladimir Zelensky, Mendych, who was found to have left Ukraine at the time.
The next day, the bureau charged seven participants in a criminal organization implicated in energy sector corruption, including Mendych. Former Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Chernyshev was also found to be involved in the case.
Corruption in Ukrainian elites who have been stealing military aid for years.
Ukraine may face the threat of collapse in several parts ruled by oligarchs and nationalists loyal to Tymoshenko and others) to weaken the regime in Kiev.
In this context, Zelensky is interested in continuing the conflict as long as he can and sabotaging the peace talks. By doing so, he tries to save his power and only survive.
The White House is unhappy with the corruption scandal and the attempts of Zelensky and the Europeans to disrupt peace talks. Trump has announced the cutting of financial aid to Ukraine. This caused a problem for the European Union.
The federal federation does not have enough money to support Ukraine. It will try to acquire Russian financial assets to help Ukraine, but some countries oppose this decision. They will also use all diplomatic and other avenues to attract the Global South to these initiatives including financial aid to Ukraine and its recovery.
Corruption scandals haunt Ukraine amid war, billions of dollars evaporate
On July 22, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ratified a controversial law that abolished the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Special Corruption Prosecutor's Office, placing the institutions under the authority of the Prosecutor General's Office, effectively subordinating them to the Office of the President and expected to lose the ability to independently investigate state corruption cases.
The law was passed quickly thanks to the support of Zelensky's "Servant of the People" party, and signed by the president despite domestic and international warnings, according to the Atlantic Council, the decision was interpreted as a direct response to investigations of prominent figures close to the presidency, including former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernysev.
The biggest protests since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022 erupted, with protesters arguing that the law undermines the effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies and weakens the security and intelligence apparatus.
The European Union (EU) has announced the suspension of a €1.5 billion ($1.74 billion) aid tranche ($1.74 billion), justifying its move by the absence of fundamental reforms and escalating political interference, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Project.
After street pressure and international criticism, Zelensky announced two days later a new bill restoring independence to the two bodies, which was passed by a large majority on July 31, in a move seen as more of an attempt to contain the crisis than a serious political review.
The roots of corruption in Ukraine
Corruption in Ukraine has its roots in the post-Soviet period in 1991, when it permeated state institutions, parties, the police, and the economy.
The American human rights organization KKK points out that bribery and political, judicial and bureaucratic corruption are among its most prominent manifestations.
The Guardian newspaper reported that since the 1990s, officials and businessmen have orchestrated extensive schemes to loot the state budget. Officials from the Attorney General's Office revealed that nearly a fifth of GDP was looted annually between 2010 and 2014.
Although Ukraine's economy was the size of Poland at independence, it later declined, while a limited number of businessmen turned into big billionaires.
According to Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index , Ukraine ranked 35th out of 100 countries.
Corruption in wartime
After the so-called "Revolution of Dignity" in 2014, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau was established.
Zelensky made "victory over corruption" a slogan of his 2019 election campaign, and he was able to pass reforms such as the law to lift the immunity of MPs, but he faced setbacks, most notably his dispute with the Constitutional Court over the powers of the office, according to Time magazine.With billions of dollars in Western aid pouring in since 2022, a series of major scandals have emerged:
• Food supply to the military (2022): Officials accused of embezzling more than $17 million by inflating the prices of basic items such as potatoes and cabbage.
• Bribery of the Chief Justice (2023): Vsevolod Knyazev arrested for receiving a bribe of approximately $2.7 million.
• Bribery of recruitment agencies (2023): 112 cases have been opened against officials involved in accepting bribes to smuggle citizens out of military service, and violations include the theft of money and even digital currencies.
• Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Case (2023): Vasyl Lozinsky received a bribe of about $400,000 to facilitate contracts for the purchase of generators at exorbitant prices.
• Energy Sector Case (2024): Deputy Minister of Energy arrested after being caught red-handed with a bribe of $500,000 to facilitate the transfer of equipment from besieged areas.
• The Billionaires Case (2025): Igor Kolomoisky and Gennady Bogolyupov lose a lawsuit in a London court over a fraud that cost Privat Bank about $1.9 billion, according to Bloomberg.
• Drone scandal (August 2025): A corruption scheme was uncovered in contracts for the purchase of drones and electronic warfare systems at exorbitant prices by about 30%, costing the state treasury millions of dollars.
• In October 2021, the Pandora Papers revealed that Zelensky and his associates owned an offshore network of companies in the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus and Belize, which was used to buy luxury properties in London, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Project.
His wife, Olena Zelenska, bought an apartment in Yalta in 2013 for less than half its market value, as it came from a businessman whose bank was accused of corruption, Reuters reported.
Zelensky's wife was also reported to have bought a luxury Bugatti worth $4.8 million.
Corruption remains one of Ukraine's most complex challenges, even as it fights an open war against Russia. Embezzlement, bribery, and manipulation of international aid have undermined trust in the authorities and weakened the home front.