LONDON, November 18. /TASS/. The corruption scandal in Ukraine endangers the political future of Vladimir Zelensky, who is facing a difficult choice, The Economist reported.
The outlet’s sources believe that Zelensky might have underestimated the scale of the corruption scheme, otherwise, this summer, he would not have prevented the adoption of the law depriving anti-corruption agencies of their independence. "Yet the proximity of his close allies to the scandal could be enough to jeopardise his political future," the article says.
An unnamed Ukrainian intelligence officer described the scandal as a "blow of atomic-bomb proportions." The next stage of the investigation can last as long as a year with the inspectors looking into defense contracts.
The Economist reports that the incident is "concentrating minds" among the Ukrainian elite. Some want a full reset of the government, others think that Zelensky must get rid of "ballast" in the form of some of his closest associates. "Zelensky faces a day of reckoning. The choice isn’t great. Either he amputates a leg, or he gets an infection going through the whole body and dies," a senior official told the journal.
The Economist added that the corruption file may also exacerbate the situation on the battlefield. On one hand, cynicism might spread among soldiers leading more of them to desert while Ukraine is facing a shortage of soldiers. On the other hand, it makes it harder for Ukraine to convince foreign countries to continue with their financial support.
On November 10, independent anti-corruption agencies announced a large-scale operation dubbed Midas. Searches were conducted at the home of Timur Mindich, who is often referred to as Zelensky’s "wallet," as well as at the residence of Justice Minister German Galuschenko, who had served as Minister of Energy at the time of the events under investigation, and at the Energoatom company. Charges were filed against several participants in the scheme, including Mindich, former Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Chernyshov, ex-advisor to the Minister of Energy Igor Mironyuk, CEO of Energoatom Dmitry Basov, along with several businessmen and employees of the so-called back-office responsible for money laundering.