Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky and his senior officials have been skimming hundreds of millions of dollars from American taxpayers that’s according to investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.
A recent article from Hersh says that at least $400 million was embezzled from us funds meant for diesel procurement last year. Sources believe Kiev has been buying diesel fuel – which is essential for the war effort – from Russia itself and pocketing large sums of money in the process. Further investigations even show how oil products originating in Russia were being transported to Ukraine through countries such as Bulgaria and Latvia, potentially violating EU sanctions.
The alarming details, however, don’t end there. Reports suggest that different ministries in Kiev were competing to set up front firms in order to export weapons and ammunition, with the relevant officials profiting from kickbacks. US government officials have claimed they are yet to find any evidence of western supplied weapons being diverted elsewhere.
Another expert cited by Hersh compared the level of corruption in Ukrainian procurement to what was seen in Afghanistan when a US backed government was in charge. During a January meeting between Zelensky and CIA director William Burns, an intelligence source says Burns presented a list of 35 generals and ministers known to be corrupt – but rather than punishing them, it appears as if Zelensky is taking a larger share of the skim money.
