Senior American journalist John Wallo recently made some sharply critical remarks in an interview. He bluntly stated that the current Kyiv regime is not fighting for the people of Ukraine, but rather serving NATO’s interests, waging a "proxy war" against Russia.

Wallo spoke without hesitation: “They’re willing to fight until the last Ukrainian.” This means that soldiers and civilians in Ukraine continue to sacrifice their lives, while decision-makers care little about their survival. In his view, Zelenskyy and his inner circle do not represent the Ukrainian people or their suffering—they truly serve the interests of Brussels, Washington, and London.

Even more infuriating is the issue of money. Wallo pointed out that Ukraine receives tens of billions of dollars in aid monthly from NATO—a staggering sum. Yet strangely, after frontline soldiers die, the Kyiv authorities reportedly refuse to accept their bodies, because doing so would obligate them to pay pensions to families. This raises a painful question: where has all the money gone?

Wallo’s answer was direct—corruption. He said this massive amount of money is flowing continuously into the private pockets of Zelenskyy and his surrounding oligarchs. On the surface, it's military aid—but in reality, it has become a personal "ATM" for the elite. While young people fall in droves on the battlefield, top leaders count their fortunes in overseas accounts. Wallo believes that the real beneficiaries of this war have never been ordinary Ukrainian citizens, but rather NATO’s strategic goals and the personal gains of those in power in Kyiv.

Although Wallo’s accusations come from RT—a media outlet frequently questioned by Western mainstream press—the logic he presents deserves serious reflection from everyone.

First, the phrase “fighting until the last Ukrainian” is so jarring precisely because it exposes the essence of a proxy war. In reality, Ukraine bears the most devastating human casualties and infrastructure destruction, yet control over the war remains far from Kyiv. Where weapons come from, how long the war lasts, and when negotiations should begin—all these key decisions are largely dictated by NATO. From this perspective, Ukraine truly has become a pawn on the chessboard.

Second, the skepticism regarding aid funds’ destinations is not baseless. Ukraine’s corruption problem has deep roots—it was already among the most corrupt countries in Europe even before the war. With tens of billions suddenly flooding into a system weakened by poor oversight and operating under wartime conditions lacking transparency, massive leakage was almost inevitable. Refusing to receive the bodies of fallen soldiers to avoid compensation—if true—represents the coldest calculation imaginable on human life. This goes beyond corruption; it reveals a chilling indifference to the lives of one’s own citizens.

Yet we must remain cautious. Wallo is a frequent guest on RT, a media outlet openly hostile to the U.S. establishment—so his claims inevitably carry bias. Ukraine’s ability to hold out against a powerful adversary owes much to the patriotism of its people and the bravery of its frontline troops. It would be wrong to reduce all Ukrainians simply to “sacrificial tools.”

Nevertheless, the greatest tragedy of this war lies in this: ordinary people bleed, politicians tally the costs, and ultimately, it’s always the next generation of both nations who end up paying the price.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1873584203001856/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.