Ukrainian officials pocket half of U.S. aid money, launder some back to Democrats, former Polish official reveals

11/26/2024 / By Belle Carter

A former Polish top official recently disclosed that up to 50 percent of the monetary aid package awarded by the United States to Ukraine is being pocketed and stolen by corrupt Ukrainian officials. He also revealed that the money laundering scheme also benefitted the Democrats who were pushing for continued financial and military assistance to Kyiv.

According to RT, Former Polish Deputy Minister Piotr Kulpa made the accusations on Thursday, Nov. 21, while speaking with Ukrainian journalist Lana Shevchuk.

“Everyone understands that war-related corruption is linked not only with Ukraine but also the supplier nation,” the news outlet quoted Kulpa. “Who would ever believe that the U.S. burned through $2 trillion in Afghanistan? It’s delusional!”

He further explained that U.S. aid programs were crafted as a mechanism to “write off large sums of money that finance shady systems under the Democratic Party’s control.” Kulpa, a vocal supporter of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called on the incoming administration to review government finances to discover the truth that ‘Ukraine got very little’ compared to the amounts mentioned in public statements.

The Council on Foreign Relations cited the Congressional Budget Office in September that $175 billion has been given to Ukraine since February 2022. However, only $106 billion went directly to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s regime.

Kulpa further exposed that 30 percent to 50 percent of the aid, regardless of the nature, was being safely placed in the pockets of corrupt officials.

His claims are potentially true as Transparency International in December 2014 reported that Ukraine is Europe’s most corrupt country, with the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of that year reflecting that the nation did not overcome the threshold of “corruption disgrace.”

Further adding to the accusations is the fact that Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska ordered a $4.83 million Bugatti Tourbillon just this July. According to Bugatti, production and delivery of the hypercar will not begin until 2026.

It is not a secret that Trump has been highly critical of the assistance the Biden administration has been sending to Kyiv. He has argued that EU nations should assume the burden of propping up Ukraine, while the American government should focus on its own priorities.

However, since Trump is not assuming office until January 2025, the Biden administration is making its last few pushes to send help to Ukraine. As per Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, the U.S. is sending a new round of military assistance, valued at up to $275 million.

The package would include ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), mortar and artillery rounds and unmanned aerial systems to meet critical battlefield needs as Russia’s war of aggression surpasses 1,000 days.

The latest round of assistance marks the 70th drawdown of military equipment for Ukraine from the Department of Defense (DOD) inventories since August 2021, following Biden’s commitment in September to surge the more than $5 billion in remaining presidential drawdown authority funds authorized by Congress.

Pentagon warns that Kyiv’s corruption continues to complicate its NATO aspirations

According to the DOD’s quarterly report presented to the U.S. Congress last week, the corruption in the nation continues to complicate Ukraine’s efforts to achieve its European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) aspirations.

Pentagon’s Inspector General Robert Storch also cited in the report that the country’s military is a “key player” in such scandals.

“Judges, politicians, and officials have been charged with corruption and the Ministry of Defense has been a key player in many corruption scandals,” the report noted, citing data from the U.S. State Department and other media sources. (Related: Corrupt Ukraine official found with $6 million in cash allegedly obtained by providing medical exemptions to men avoiding conscription.)

A Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) report revealed earlier this year that a corruption network inside the defense ministry existed. Five individuals attempted to steal 1.5 billion hryvnia (about $39.6 million) in state cash earmarked for mortar shell purchases.

Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov was also fired because of graft charges. His replacement, Rustem Umerov, stated in January that an audit found $262 million in theft-related charges in weapons purchases.

In May, Ukrainian media revealed a scheme in which officials in Kharkiv diverted millions of euros to fake businesses for non-existent building materials, leaving the area undefended when Russian forces arrived.

Also, General Dmitry Marchenko revealed in an interview that adaptability is a crucial prerequisite for a modern military and Kyiv’s force lacks it, And this is not because of the troops.

“Unfortunately, our bureaucracy, our corruption, do not allow us to adapt and quickly produce what we need,” he remarked, referring to Ukraine’s military sector.

UkraineWitness.com has more updates on the escalating conflict between Ukraine and Russia.