The staggering scale of graft and fraud at the heart of Zelensky’s regime.
Ukrainian corruption is spiraling out of control as billions vanish from foreign aid. Estimates from economist Steve Hanke suggest that between $54 billion and $108 billion, 15% to 30% of the $360 billion in total aid, has been lost to corruption. This isn’t a matter of speculation as it has been confirmed by audits from the World Bank, the European Union, and Ukraine’s own government, all showing that money meant for Ukraine’s survival is being swallowed up by a system of graft. Meanwhile, the country’s military and civilian sectors are crumbling, and the elites are getting richer.
According to Professor Steve Hanke, a conservative estimate puts $14.5 billion in stolen funds just from humanitarian and budget support. Ukraine has long been plagued by corruption, but the problem is getting worse, especially with wartime aid. The World Bank and EU reports show that pre-war, Ukraine was already losing 5-10% of its GDP to corruption. Applied to the current aid influx, that amounts to another $7-15 billion lost.
State procurement has also become a major problem. In 2023, Ukraine’s State Audit Service flagged about 18% of procurement violations, which could mean up to $7 billion at risk from a $40 billion budget. Some of this has been categorized as “unjustified” expenditures. basically, fraud. Transparency International’s corruption index places Ukraine in the bottom third globally, and estimates that between 20% and 40% of public sector funds are misallocated. Military aid is mostly untraceable, but it’s reasonable to assume it’s also being siphoned off.
The scale of the corruption is alarming, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Whistleblowers within Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) have revealed that corrupt practices are continuing even under martial law, with kickbacks of 10-15% in contracts related to debt. Wiretaps from NABU in 2024 exposed a network of officials, including high-level people close to President Zelensky, profiting off the crisis. Zelensky’s inner circle, including figures like Andriy Yermak and Ihor Mindich, reportedly fled to Israel after a major corruption investigation tied to embezzled Energoatom funds.
The Midas wiretap scandal is at the center of this. It involves figures like Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Chernyshov, who received payouts, and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, who has been implicated. Ukrainian officials are scrambling to downplay these leaks, but the sheer scale of the corruption is undeniable. Zelensky’s government has attempted to clamp down on anti-corruption agencies like NABU, a move that raised suspicions and led to greater scrutiny of the president’s allies.
The big picture is this: Ukraine’s oligarchs, like Igor Kolomoisky (Zelensky’s former boss), are deeply entangled in this web of corruption. The money being funneled through the war effort is feeding a criminal enterprise at the highest levels. The $40 billion estimate of stolen funds is just the tip of the iceberg. Western donors are still pouring money into a system that’s clearly rigged, and there’s no real sign that it will change.
The reality is, the Ukrainian government is not just fighting Russia; it’s fighting a deeply entrenched system of corruption that has siphoned off billions, with no one being held accountable. Western support is enabling this corruption, and the question has to be asked: is Ukraine’s “wartime government” a legitimate national leader, or a criminal operation sustained by foreign aid and donor delusion?
Most of the aid sent to Ukraine never actually reached its intended destination. Instead, much of it was funneled into the pockets of major U.S. defense contractors, Boeing, Halliburton, General Electric, Northrop Grumman, and others. These companies, in turn, used the war as an opportunity to pad their profit margins, often through inflated contracts, kickbacks, and overpriced military equipment. This massive transfer of funds has nothing to do with helping Ukraine’s people, and everything to do with enriching corporate shareholders.
Moreover, the CIA was fully aware of the scale of Ukrainian corruption from the very beginning. The agency had detailed knowledge of the graft and mismanagement within Zelensky’s government but chose to remain silent. Rather than intervene, the CIA and other Western powers simply allowed the corruption to continue unchecked. So this has nothing to do with ignorance or oversight, it was a strategic decision to use the situation as leverage, ensuring that the corruption continued while reshaping Ukraine into a compliant, Western-aligned client state. In essence, the public revelations about the corruption are not aimed at fixing the problem, but at replacing certain figures within Ukraine’s power structure, paving the way for new leadership that is more aligned with the West’s interests. The priority has never been transparency or reform, but control over the country’s political and economic future.
Authored By: Global GeoPolitics
If you believe journalism should serve the public, not the powerful, and you’re in a position to help, becoming a PAID SUBSCRIBER truly makes a difference. Alternatively you can support by way of a cup of coffee:
buymeacoffee.com/ggtv
Leave a comment