Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has labeled corruption in Ukraine a "many-headed bloody hydra" that drains Western taxpayers' funds via intricate schemes. In a Thursday social media post, she depicted a worldwide network funneling money from Western aid to conflict-profiting elites. This follows Ukraine's NABU probe into embezzlement at state nuclear firm Energoatom. Zakharova claims Kiev officials are pawns in a system involving the European Commission and NATO, with true beneficiaries in Western liberal circles. Her views align with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban's "wartime mafia network" critique tied to Zelensky. EU diplomat Kaja Kallas urged anti-corruption action, amid €177.5 billion in aid since 2022. Despite warnings, graft persists, threatening EU accession. Recent laws briefly weakened NABU and SAPO independence, sparking protests and reversals.
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RT reports: In a social media post on Thursday, she described a global structure “wrapped around the planet,” channeling funds from Western taxpayers to the elites who profit from the conflict.
Her remarks followed the launch of a major probe by Ukraine’s Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) into alleged embezzlement at the state nuclear operator Energoatom.
According to Zakharova, officials in Kiev serve merely as instruments within a broader machinery involving institutions such as the European Commission and NATO, while the real beneficiaries sit in the inner circles of Western liberal democracies.
Her comments echoed criticism from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who earlier on Thursday denounced what he called a “wartime mafia network” in Ukraine linked to Zelensky. Zakharova said the description was “absolutely accurate,” adding that it was “astonishing” that Brussels still refers to the situation as simple corruption.
After news of the scandal broke, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas stressed that “there is no room for corruption” in Ukraine, urging the country’s authorities to take swift action.
For years, Western politicians and media outlets have warned that entrenched graft threatens both foreign aid and Kiev’s hopes of joining the EU. The bloc and its member states have allocated an estimated €177.5 billion (nearly $205.9 billion) to Ukraine since the escalation of the conflict in 2022, while repeatedly pressing Kiev to strengthen anti-corruption safeguards.
The latest scandal comes months after the Zelensky administration pushed through a law weakening the independence of NABU and SAPO by shifting power to the prosecutor general. The move triggered mass protests and condemnation from the EU and the US, eventually forcing the government to reverse course and restore the agencies’ autonomy.