FROM FOX NEWS: Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is battling the deepest crisis of his presidency after a money-laundering probe named members of his inner circle, including an associate accused of living in “golden toilet” luxury, a former government official has claimed.
Their comments came as the president faces scrutiny over the investigation that agencies said Monday involves associates allegedly linked to a plot to siphon around $100 million from Ukraine’s energy sector during the war with Russia.
“Ukrainians don’t have any motivation to fight now because of enormous human rights violations and also because of this corruption now exposed,” the former official told Fox News Digital, under condition of anonymity.
Tymur Mindich has been linked to a multimillion dollar embezzlement and kickbacks scandal involving Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company, according to the Associated Press. Once “a shadowy presence — navigating deals and moving behind the scenes with unseen influence, known to many, yet rarely spoken of,” he has close ties to Zelenskyy.
The AP reports:
The two were once business partners and Mindich’s influence had expanded under Zelenskyy’s tenure.
The full extent of that influence was exposed this week when Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs released the findings of a 15-month investigation into a $100 million embezzlement scheme involving top officials and Ukraine’s state nuclear power company, accusing Mindich of being the mastermind behind the plot.
Mindich has fled the country, with any criminal proceedings against him likely to be carried out in absentia. Two top government ministers have resigned.
Ukrainian officials, experts and activists contend Mindich’s rise to power is closely tied to his privileged relationship with the president and Zelenskyy’s inner circle. The investigation does not implicate Zelenskyy himself, and he has openly supported the work of anti-corruption agencies while sanctioning Mindich once its findings were revealed. Writing on X on Saturday, the president said the leadership of state-owned energy companies will be renewed and their finances audited.
READ MORE AT FOX NEWS and AP NEWS
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