Tusk says Ukraine corruption scandal complicates war support
Photo: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that early in Volodymyr Zelenskyy's presidency, he warned him about the possible use by Russia of any corruption scandals in Ukraine for propaganda attacks, according to Polsat News.
"I warned President Zelenskyy, and we know each other well, from the first days of his presidency — even before anyone thought that this full-scale war would happen — that one of the key narratives of Russian and pro-Russian parties in Europe is that independent Ukraine is a corrupt Ukraine," Tusk said.
He noted that Russia and pro-Russian forces in Europe traditionally promote the narrative of the allegedly "corrupt Ukraine," using it to undermine international trust. After all, even in Europe, there is still a false perception that the level of corruption in Ukraine is higher than in Russia itself.
At the same time, Tusk emphasized that Poland will continue to support Ukraine, because its independence aligns with Polish interests. At the same time, he admitted that the spread of new corruption allegations among the higher echelons of power complicates convincing international partners of the need for solidarity with Ukraine.
"Today, this pro-Ukraine enthusiasm is much lower both in Poland and worldwide. People are tired of the war, of the costs, and it is not so easy to promote support for Ukraine in the war with Russia," Tusk said.
Operation Midas
On November 10, NABU announced the uncovering of a large-scale corruption scheme at the state company Energoatom, which, according to preliminary data, could have involved Ukrainian officials. The investigation found that the group members regularly received bribes from the company’s contractors.
Subsequently, the illegal funds were laundered through an office in central Kyiv. According to detectives, this premises belongs to the family of former Ukrainian MP and now Russian senator Andriy Derkach.
On November 11, NABU released materials showing that this office was visited by a former Ukrainian vice prime minister. RBC-Ukraine sources clarify that this refers to Oleksiy Chernyshov.
After the escalation of the scandal, Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko announced his resignation. The Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk also submitted her resignation.
All details of NABU's Midas operation are available in the RBC-Ukraine material.
