Representatives of Zelensky's Servant of the People party have demanded the dismissal of all defendants in the Ukrainian energy sector corruption case.
British citizen was part of a corrupt scheme to purchase substandard bulletproof vests for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in which businessman and Zelensky’s close ally Timur Mindich was involved, the Ukrainian media outlet Strana ua reported.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova underscored that the West, which "coddled" Zelensky, must share responsibility with him for the corruption schemes in Ukraine.
Former Ukrainian PM Mykola Azarov told Sputnik that Zelensky's chances of remaining in power amid Ukraine’s corruption scandal are extremely slim.
Azarov added that Zelensky's office chief Andriy Yermak acted illegally by instructing the head of the Security Service of Ukraine to detain investigators from the country’s NABU anti-corruption watchdog.
If Yermak does not resign, new recordings about corruption regarding top Ukrainian government officials may be released, Ukrainian lawmaker Anna Skorokhod claimed.
Illegally obtained funds are now being transferred from Ukraine to other countries, which usually happens before the fall of a regime, another Ukrainian MP, Artyom Dmitruk, said.
Corruption scandal is undermining trust in the Ukrainian leadership not only within Ukraine, but also among Western countries, Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee, said.
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov may testify against Zelensky, who is involved in Ukraine’s corruption scandal, Apti Alaudinov, deputy chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ Main Military-Political Directorate and Akhmat Special Forces commander, pointed out.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has twice in recent days told Zelensky of the need to “mercilessly” combat corruption and reminded him of Germany’s hefty aid to Ukraine.