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Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is facing the deepest crisis of his presidency after a money laundering investigation implicating members of his inner circle, including an aide accused of living in the luxury of a "golden toilet," a former government official has claimed.
Their comments came as the president faces scrutiny over the investigation that agencies said Monday involves suspected accomplices linked to a plot to embezzle about $100 million from Ukraine's energy sector during the war with Russia.
"The Ukrainians have no motivation to fight now because of the massive human rights violations and also because of this corruption that has now been exposed," the former official told Fox News Digital, on condition of anonymity.
According to him, people inside the country are already seeing this corruption and this is just part of the corrupt swamp. "Zelensky is part of the problem," he claimed.
Since Russia's invasion in 2022, Ukraine's financial system has come under scrutiny, and now some Ukrainians are accused of taking bribes from projects intended to protect power plants during wartime, sparking public anger and undermining trust in the government.
"This money laundering appears to have been going on since 2022 and there were many people who tried to stop this," the former official said.
He added that some say Zelensky was aware of these schemes and that he had approved them.
"There were also suspicions that the money ended up in accounts abroad from which Zelensky and his inner circle benefited," he said.
A comprehensive investigation dubbed "Operation Midas" by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) uncovered the schemes.
In a major Energoatom investigation targeting Ukraine's state-owned nuclear power company and its energy contracts, businessman Tymur Mindich was also mentioned.
Mindich was a co-owner of the entertainment company Kvartal 95 with the president and, according to The Kyiv Independent, Mindich was suspected of being the head of that network.
The Financial Times also reported that investigators found bags of cash and a gold-plated toilet in one of the bathrooms of his apartment.
"They were introduced many years ago and ran the 95 Kvartal business, which includes film production and many other entertainment genres," the former official claimed.
"Tymur had an apartment with golden toilets located in the same building as Zelenskyy, and in 2021 Zelenskyy celebrated his birthday in Tymur's apartment," he added.
Another figure under investigation, Oleksiy Chernyshov, is a former deputy prime minister.
"He was also very close to the family and held positions in the Zelensky government since 2019 and has been accused of abuse of office," the former official claimed.
"Chernyshov began to build three or four large houses on their most luxurious estate in Kiev."
So far, in his evening speech on November 10, Zelensky said that "anyone who has devised a corrupt scheme must receive a clear legal answer. There must be criminal decisions."
He stressed the importance of accountability in the energy sector and said that keeping Energoatom clean of corruption is a priority.
Zelensky also praised the efforts of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, saying,
"Any effective action against corruption is very much needed. The inevitability of punishment is necessary."
"Zelensky is using his extraordinary talent in public relations and will not resign over this investigation," the former official claimed, adding that "Zelensky is not the kind of person who feels ashamed even if there is a corruption investigation."
"Zelensky has taken everything from this war. He had a vertical of power, an invincible image, all the media attention. For some, he really depends on that and on the money," he added. /Adapted from Foxnews/
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