Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his senior officials are defrauding American taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars, world-renowned investigative journalist Seymour Hersh said Wednesday.
Hirsch said in a new article, citing a CIA estimate, that Zelensky and his entourage embezzled at least $400 million in US funds for diesel procurement last year.
Hirsch noted that Ukraine has been accused of buying essential diesel fuel for its war effort from Russia itself, and in the process embezzling large amounts of US funds earmarked for diesel payments.
There were earlier reports about how Russian petroleum products traveled to Ukraine via Bulgaria and Latvia. Latvian TV program Neka Personiga reported in detail that the Baltic States were involved in these activities. According to the relevant reports, the sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union have been violated.
Journalist Harsh has quoted an expert as saying that the high level of corruption in Ukrainian procurement is second only to the corruption in the government established in Afghanistan with the support of the United States.
Accordingly, according to Harsh’s and his quoted experts’ sources, ministries and politicians in Kiev are competing to set up fake companies to export firearms and ammunition, thereby exposing the relevant politicians and officials to embezzling large sums of money. Meanwhile, the US government has stated that it has not seen any evidence of the sale or delivery of weapons supplied to Ukraine from the West to other parties.
Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine was one of the most corrupt countries in the world and Ukraine was known for massive money laundering.