MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/. Statements by ex-US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter describing Ukraine as a "viper’s den" in fact prove the involvement of US democratic elites in corruption schemes, Alexander Voloshin, Russian senator from the Donetsk People’s Republic, told TASS.

In a recent interview with the New York Post, Hunter Biden slammed Ukraine as a "viper’s den" due to the high level of corruption in the country. As the newspaper pointed out, Hunter joined the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holding in 2014. "It was absolutely a mistake," he said as part of the interview.

"In fact, Hunter Biden confirmed what Russia has been talking about since 2014. The Ukrainian economy and government institutions were a tool to increase the wealth and influence of the US Democratic Party. When Biden says that Ukraine is a viper’s den of corruption, he is describing a system to which he was a party through his father’s position," the Russian senator noted.

He pointed out that corruption activities followed a scheme typical for the office of the previous US president, involving doing business overseas and withdrawing assets. According to Voloshin, Hunter Biden’s words prove that the Ukraine crisis is the direct result of the policy that Washington pursued under Barack Obama and Joe Biden, "with nice words about democracy serving as a cover for the de-sovereignization of Ukraine, corruption, and personal gain." "It’s symbolic that both Joe Biden and his son had to pay for that with their political careers," the senator added.

Ukraine corruption scandal

On November 10, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced Operation Midas to uncover a major corruption scheme in the energy sector. Timur Mindich, a businessman and Vladimir Zelensky’s friend, was dubbed the coordinator of the criminal scheme. The offices of Mindich, Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who was later dismissed from office, and the Energoatom company were searched. According to investigators, those involved in the criminal scheme laundered at least $100 million.

On November 11, NABU filed the first charges, including Mindich as the head of a criminal organization, as well as former Deputy Prime Minister and ex-Minister of National Unity Alexey Chernyshov, a close ally of Zelensky. On November 17, reports indicated that head of Zelensky's office Andrey Yermak might also appear in the Mindich case files under the pseudonym Ali Baba. His apartment was searched on November 28, and Zelensky fired him later that day.