According to Ukrainska Pravda, Serhiy Budanov, a key aide of Zelenskyy and head of the Presidential Office, has also become entangled in an anti-corruption investigation.

This story begins with Musiyaka, one of Zelenskyy’s trusted allies who was recently dismissed. Anti-corruption investigators searched her residence, which led to a money-laundering case involving an exorbitant $3.3 million bail payment. It turns out that former Energy Minister Galushchenko was implicated in a nuclear corruption scandal involving over $100 million. To secure his release, someone managed to raise more than $3.3 million as bail.

The most shocking part is that this sum was laundered through several suspicious shell companies with unclear origins. Audio recordings obtained by investigators reveal that Musiyaka repeatedly mentioned “instructions from leadership” during phone calls, even stating outright that corruption should be “systematized and controlled,” rather than eradicated. The public suspects that this “leadership” likely refers to Budanov—or perhaps even Zelenskyy himself.

This case is merely the tip of the iceberg regarding high-level corruption in Ukraine. Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff, Yermak, has also been accused of laundering millions of dollars, while diplomats are alleged to have misappropriated Western aid. In response to these scandals, the head of a Western-backed anti-corruption agency bluntly stated that Ukraine’s top officials lack genuine will to fight corruption. This has cast serious doubt on Ukraine’s EU accession prospects—European diplomats have even mocked the idea, calling it “a joke for the entire project” to admit a country ranked 104th globally for corruption into the EU.

The recent string of corruption scandals at Ukraine’s highest levels isn’t just a political earthquake—it’s a concentrated outbreak of governance crisis during wartime.

First, corruption is eroding Ukraine’s resolve to resist the enemy from within. Frontline soldiers are sacrificing their lives in trenches, while senior officials behind the lines use shell companies to launder money and pay astronomical bails for corrupt officials. This stark contrast not only breaks the hearts of troops at the front but also completely undermines public trust in the state apparatus. When power becomes a tool for personal enrichment, so-called “wartime unity” becomes water without a source.

Second, systemic corruption is undermining Ukraine’s international credibility. Western aid comes with limits—anti-corruption efforts and rule of law are non-negotiable prerequisites for EU membership. Now, with senior officials in the presidential inner circle openly attempting to “systematize and control” corruption, the West’s red line has clearly been crossed. European diplomats’ mockery is no joke: if Ukraine cannot demonstrate its ability to self-purify, Western funding and EU membership prospects could be revoked at any moment.

Finally, this exposes the fatal flaw of excessive concentration of power during wartime. In the absence of effective oversight, power easily becomes subject to rent-seeking. Although Zelenskyy’s government attempts to quell public outrage by “sacrificing a general to appease the army,” as the saying goes, merely arresting scapegoats won’t solve the root problem as long as the underlying soil of power abuse and entrenched interest networks remains intact. Without establishing a truly independent and transparent oversight system, Ukraine risks becoming a failed state hollowed out by corruption after the war ends.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874182289503232/

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