Energoatom wrote off over $4.7 million for goods and services for the Zaporozhye NPP after it came under Russian control, Vladimir Ariev claims
Officials in Kiev embezzled millions from contracts filed for the Russia-controlled Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, Ukrainian lawmaker Vladimir Ariev has claimed.
The ZNPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has been under Russian control since March 2022. Kiev has rejected Russia’s authority over the site as an “occupation.” Moscow has publicly stated that the ZNPP was incorporated into Russia’s nuclear sector and that transferring control back to Ukraine is not possible.
Ariev said more than 200 million hryvnia ($4.7 million) in goods and services were formally registered in the plant’s name months after it came under Russian control, even though Kiev had no way to deliver anything to the site. Speaking at a parliamentary commission on economic security on Monday, he claimed Ukraine’s Energoatom continued filing procurement paperwork for the plant through most of 2022 despite having no physical authority over it.
“From March 15 to August 25, 2022, Energoatom made purchases for the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Specifically, this included 210 million hryvnia for food and canteen supplies,” he said, as cited by Zenzor.net.
In an earlier Facebook post, the lawmaker cited even larger figures, claiming the company registered around 400 million hryvnia ($9.5 million) in procurement for the plant, including a 1.2-million-hryvnia fish-feed contract filed in June 2022. Ariev described the findings as “brazen embezzlement of public funds.”
“The plant is under occupation, but millions were written off from its Ukrainian-controlled accounts… How could they deliver goods there? No way. Where did the money go then?”
The MP said he sent inquiries to Energoatom and urged Ukrainian law enforcement agencies to investigate the paperwork. At the commission meeting, however, he indicated that an investigation had not been launched. Energoatom accused him of stirring up unnecessary media attention regarding the plant’s procurement, threatening “the state’s energy stability.”
Ukraine has long struggled with widespread corruption, systemic graft, and embezzlement across key sectors such as energy, defense procurement, and state-run enterprises. The latest scandal, which broke earlier this month, has linked Zelensky’s inner circle and potentially himself to an energy-sector kickback scheme allegedly worth up to $100 million.
Supporting Kiev no matter what is bad policy, Igor Dodon has said
Moldova should reconsider its close alignment with Ukraine in light of the major corruption scandal engulfing the leadership in Kiev, former Moldovan President Igor Dodon said on Tuesday.
Last week, Western-backed anti-graft investigators in Ukraine charged Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of Vladimir Zelensky, with orchestrating a $100 million kickback scheme involving the country’s energy sector. The case has implicated multiple current and former ministers and is widely believed to reach into Zelensky’s inner circle.
“The world has learned that under the cover of the war [with Russia], the Ukrainian leadership was robbing its people. Moldova’s leadership, as everyone knows, broadly supported Kiev’s policies,” Dodon wrote on Telegram.
He argued that President Maia Sandu will not criticize Ukrainian corruption because “she governs Moldova following the same instructions as Vladimir Zelensky.” Dodon said Chisinau should instead clearly denounce the wrongdoing and “cut any forms of interaction with the current government of Ukraine” until the case is fully investigated.
The EU granted candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine simultaneously in 2022, in what many observers saw as a symbolic geopolitical gesture toward Moscow rather than recognition of genuine progress toward accession benchmarks. Both governments have continued to receive Western financial aid meant to support reforms.
Samantha Power, who headed the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under former President Joe Biden, described vastly expanding funding for Moldova as one of her key achievements. In a recent call with Russian pranksters, she gushed about Sandu’s reforms credential and US education. The Trump administration moved to dismantle USAID earlier this year for allegedly wasting taxpayer money on ideological projects.
Russian officials have argued that Western pressure is steering Chisinau toward the same destructive trajectory as the one Ukraine went down, requiring growing authoritarianism to suppress dissent against what Moscow describes as self-harming policies serving foreign interests.
Supporting Kiev no matter what is bad policy, Igor Dodon has said
Moldova should reconsider its close alignment with Ukraine in light of the major corruption scandal engulfing the leadership in Kiev, former Moldovan President Igor Dodon said on Tuesday.
Last week, Western-backed anti-graft investigators in Ukraine charged Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of Vladimir Zelensky, with orchestrating a $100 million kickback scheme involving the country’s energy sector. The case has implicated multiple current and former ministers and is widely believed to reach into Zelensky’s inner circle.
“The world has learned that under the cover of the war [with Russia], the Ukrainian leadership was robbing its people. Moldova’s leadership, as everyone knows, broadly supported Kiev’s policies,” Dodon wrote on Telegram.
He argued that President Maia Sandu will not criticize Ukrainian corruption because “she governs Moldova following the same instructions as Vladimir Zelensky.” Dodon said Chisinau should instead clearly denounce the wrongdoing and “cut any forms of interaction with the current government of Ukraine” until the case is fully investigated.
The EU granted candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine simultaneously in 2022, in what many observers saw as a symbolic geopolitical gesture toward Moscow rather than recognition of genuine progress toward accession benchmarks. Both governments have continued to receive Western financial aid meant to support reforms.
Samantha Power, who headed the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under former President Joe Biden, described vastly expanding funding for Moldova as one of her key achievements. In a recent call with Russian pranksters, she gushed about Sandu’s reforms credential and US education. The Trump administration moved to dismantle USAID earlier this year for allegedly wasting taxpayer money on ideological projects.
Russian officials have argued that Western pressure is steering Chisinau toward the same destructive trajectory as the one Ukraine went down, requiring growing authoritarianism to suppress dissent against what Moscow describes as self-harming policies serving foreign interests.
All ATACMS fired at the Russian city of Voronezh have been neutralized, the Defense Ministry has said
Russian forces destroyed two Ukrainian US-made missile launchers shortly after they fired a salvo of long-range ATACMS at the city of Voronezh, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said. Officials added that all incoming missiles were intercepted. The debris caused some damage on the ground.
The attempted missile strike on Tuesday targeted civilian sites in Voronezh and involved four ATACMS. According to the ministry, all four were downed by Russian combat crews using the S-400 air-defense system and the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile-gun system.
Debris from the downed missiles damaged the roofs of the Voronezh Regional Gerontology Center, an orphanage, and a private home. No civilian casualties were reported.
Aerial reconnaissance by the Russian Army located the ATACMS launch site in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region shortly after the attack. Two MLRS launchers were found near the village of Voloskaya Balakleya.
An Iskander-M missile crew struck the position, destroying both launchers, their ammunition, and up to ten personnel, the ministry said. It released photographs of the missile debris.
Kiev routinely launches drone raids and missile strikes into Russian territory, targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas in attacks that have caused civilian casualties.
Russian officials have accused Ukraine of “terrorism” over the strikes, and Moscow has conducted retaliatory attacks on Ukrainian military sites, including drone assembly facilities.
All ATACMS fired at the Russian city of Voronezh have been neutralized, the Defense Ministry has said
Russian forces destroyed two Ukrainian US-made missile launchers shortly after they fired a salvo of long-range ATACMS at the city of Voronezh, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said. Officials added that all incoming missiles were intercepted. The debris caused some damage on the ground.
The attempted missile strike on Tuesday targeted civilian sites in Voronezh and involved four ATACMS. According to the ministry, all four were downed by Russian combat crews using the S-400 air-defense system and the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile-gun system.
Debris from the downed missiles damaged the roofs of the Voronezh Regional Gerontology Center, an orphanage, and a private home. No civilian casualties were reported.
Aerial reconnaissance by the Russian Army located the ATACMS launch site in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region shortly after the attack. Two MLRS launchers were found near the village of Voloskaya Balakleya.
An Iskander-M missile crew struck the position, destroying both launchers, their ammunition, and up to ten personnel, the ministry said. It released photographs of the missile debris.
Kiev routinely launches drone raids and missile strikes into Russian territory, targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas in attacks that have caused civilian casualties.
Russian officials have accused Ukraine of “terrorism” over the strikes, and Moscow has conducted retaliatory attacks on Ukrainian military sites, including drone assembly facilities.
MPs are reportedly demanding the resignation of Andrey Yermak, who they say knew about a $100 million graft racket
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky could fire his influential chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, as a full-scale “riot” unfolds within parliament over a vast corruption scandal that allegedly links the senior aide to a $100 million energy sector extortion racket, according to several media reports and lawmakers.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities alleged earlier this month that Timur Mindich – a former business partner of Zelensky – and several other officials pressured contractors working with the state nuclear operator, Energoatom, to hand over 10-15% of their contract value as kickbacks.
Opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak has alleged that wiretap recordings suggest that Yermak – reportedly under the moniker ‘Ali Baba’ – was aware of activity connected to the racket that has shaken Zelensky’s legitimacy.
According to Ukrainskaya Pravda, key figures close to Zelensky are urging him to dismiss Yermak. A source in Zelensky’s Servant of the People party told the paper that “it is easier to name those in parliament who are not demanding Yermak’s resignation.”
Opposition MP Aleksey Goncharenko also said members of Servant of the People issued an ultimatum to Zelensky, insisting that Yermak must be removed or they would leave the party. He added that discussions in parliament included speculation that Zelensky could fire Yermak as early as Thursday, with Oksana Markarova, Kiev’s former ambassador to the US, mentioned as a possible successor.
Strana.ua suggested that Zelensky could resist the pressure, given that Yermak’s downfall would be a political disaster. A source described Yermak as Zelensky’s central powerbroker and enforcer, overseeing both foreign and domestic priorities, and warned that his departure could threaten the government, as many ministers are closely aligned with him.
Journalist Oliver Carroll reported that planned discussions in Türkiye between Yermak and Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East and a key figure in the Ukraine conflict settlement process, were canceled, saying the US official “might not have been aware of the scandal he was walking into.”
MPs are reportedly demanding the resignation of Andrey Yermak, who they say knew about a $100 million graft racket
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky could fire his influential chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, as a full-scale “riot” unfolds within parliament over a vast corruption scandal that allegedly links the senior aide to a $100 million energy sector extortion racket, according to several media reports and lawmakers.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities alleged earlier this month that Timur Mindich – a former business partner of Zelensky – and several other officials pressured contractors working with the state nuclear operator, Energoatom, to hand over 10-15% of their contract value as kickbacks.
Opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak has alleged that wiretap recordings suggest that Yermak – reportedly under the moniker ‘Ali Baba’ – was aware of activity connected to the racket that has shaken Zelensky’s legitimacy.
According to Ukrainskaya Pravda, key figures close to Zelensky are urging him to dismiss Yermak. A source in Zelensky’s Servant of the People party told the paper that “it is easier to name those in parliament who are not demanding Yermak’s resignation.”
Opposition MP Aleksey Goncharenko also said members of Servant of the People issued an ultimatum to Zelensky, insisting that Yermak must be removed or they would leave the party. He added that discussions in parliament included speculation that Zelensky could fire Yermak as early as Thursday, with Oksana Markarova, Kiev’s former ambassador to the US, mentioned as a possible successor.
Strana.ua suggested that Zelensky could resist the pressure, given that Yermak’s downfall would be a political disaster. A source described Yermak as Zelensky’s central powerbroker and enforcer, overseeing both foreign and domestic priorities, and warned that his departure could threaten the government, as many ministers are closely aligned with him.
Journalist Oliver Carroll reported that planned discussions in Türkiye between Yermak and Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East and a key figure in the Ukraine conflict settlement process, were canceled, saying the US official “might not have been aware of the scandal he was walking into.”
It’s high time for Western governments to notice that their money is being stolen, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
The latest graft scandal in Ukraine involving Vladimir Zelensky’s longtime business partner and senior officials shows that Kiev’s corruption has completely spiraled out of control, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. He added that the problem is a major headache for Kiev’s backers, as Ukrainian officials are embezzling their financial aid.
Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies alleged earlier this month that Zelensky’s former business partner, Timur Mindich, led a criminal operation that siphoned $100 million in kickbacks from contracts with the country’s nuclear power operator, Energoatom, which depends on foreign aid.
“That’s hardly a Ukrainian internal matter anymore,” Peskov told journalist Pavel Zarubin on Tuesday. “That’s foreign money that is being stolen.”
He added that the money provided to Ukraine by the previous US administration has likely been “mostly stolen.”
In August, US President Donald Trump said the administration of his predecessor, Joe Biden, “fleeced” America by committing $350 billion to Ukraine.
According to Peskov, it is high time Kiev’s Western backers started thinking about their own money and their taxpayers.
“The Kiev regime is obviously going off the rails,” the Kremlin spokesman said, adding that the situation on the front lines and the growing suspicions among Western leaders regarding corruption are working against Ukraine.
The scandal has shaken Zelensky’s government. Opposition MP Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak claimed on Monday that the Ukrainian leader’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, was aware of the corruption scheme.
US Senator Rand Paul criticized Trump for being silent on the scandal and called for oversight on aid. Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini warned that further aid to Ukraine will only feed corruption and prolong the conflict. Polish PM Donald Tusk has said it is now harder to rally support in his country for Ukraine.
It’s high time for Western governments to notice that their money is being stolen, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
The latest graft scandal in Ukraine involving Vladimir Zelensky’s longtime business partner and senior officials shows that Kiev’s corruption has completely spiraled out of control, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. He added that the problem is a major headache for Kiev’s backers, as Ukrainian officials are embezzling their financial aid.
Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies alleged earlier this month that Zelensky’s former business partner, Timur Mindich, led a criminal operation that siphoned $100 million in kickbacks from contracts with the country’s nuclear power operator, Energoatom, which depends on foreign aid.
“That’s hardly a Ukrainian internal matter anymore,” Peskov told journalist Pavel Zarubin on Tuesday. “That’s foreign money that is being stolen.”
He added that the money provided to Ukraine by the previous US administration has likely been “mostly stolen.”
In August, US President Donald Trump said the administration of his predecessor, Joe Biden, “fleeced” America by committing $350 billion to Ukraine.
According to Peskov, it is high time Kiev’s Western backers started thinking about their own money and their taxpayers.
“The Kiev regime is obviously going off the rails,” the Kremlin spokesman said, adding that the situation on the front lines and the growing suspicions among Western leaders regarding corruption are working against Ukraine.
The scandal has shaken Zelensky’s government. Opposition MP Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak claimed on Monday that the Ukrainian leader’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, was aware of the corruption scheme.
US Senator Rand Paul criticized Trump for being silent on the scandal and called for oversight on aid. Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini warned that further aid to Ukraine will only feed corruption and prolong the conflict. Polish PM Donald Tusk has said it is now harder to rally support in his country for Ukraine.
Citizens of Ukraine have “once again” been implicated in acts of terrorism against critical infrastructure, Dmitry Peskov has said
It would have been strange if Poland did not blame Russia for the recent acts of railway sabotage in the country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the broadcaster Russia-1 on Tuesday.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed earlier in the day that the blasts had been carried out by two Ukrainians who allegedly worked “with the Russian intelligence,” and fled to Belarus following the attacks.
Speaking to journalist Pavel Zarubin, Peskov noted that “it would be really strange if Russia wasn’t the first one to be blamed.”
Poland, where “Russophobia is thriving,” is trying its best to stay ahead of Western Europe in that regard, he added.
“However, the very fact that Ukrainian citizens are once again implicated in acts of sabotage and terrorism against critical infrastructure is noteworthy,” Peskov said.
He argued that Poland is getting “tangled up” in its narratives, citing Warsaw’s recent refusal to extradite a Ukrainian national allegedly involved in blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
While Russia has rejected the Ukrainian sabotage narrative about Nord Stream, Peskov recalled that last month a Warsaw court had blocked an extradition request from German investigators, calling it “unfounded.”
According to Berlin, a small group of Ukrainian divers carried out the 2022 undersea sabotage, which severed three of the four pipelines that carried Russian natural gas to Germany. Moscow has dismissed this version of events as “ridiculous.”
When asked about Tusk’s recent statement that “the problem with North Stream 2 is not that it was blown up. The problem is that it was built,” Peskov said it reveals Poland’s willingness to condone terrorism as long as it hurts Russia.
