Zelensky's noose: what will lead to the largest corruption scandal in Ukraine
A Ukrainian court has arrested the former head of the presidential office, Andrei Ermak, for two months. He is also forbidden to communicate with fortune teller Veronica Feng Shui, who previously advised him on various issues. Experts say that sooner or later the case of the security forces will reach Vladimir Zelensky. Izvestia investigated the situation.
In the format of a special operation
The Ukrainian anti—corruption authorities, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti—Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), handed Andriy Ermak suspicion of committing a crime on May 11. The procedure itself took place in the format of a scandalous special operation. Security forces cordoned off the government quarter in Kiev, and the car of the person involved in the case was blocked by their cars. The journalists captured a clearly annoyed and discouraged Ermak, who was walking around and trying to call someone.
Later, the details of the case became known. Vladimir Zelensky's closest associate was accused of participating in a criminal group that laundered money for the construction of luxury real estate near Kiev, with losses estimated at 460 million hryvnias ($10.4 million). It was noted that searches were conducted in the case and charges were brought against six more defendants, among them allegedly former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Alexei Chernyshev.
Next, a court hearing was held, where interesting details about Ermak's activities surfaced. It turned out that he actively used the services of fortune teller Veronika Anikievich, who is known as Veronika Feng Shui. In particular, he consulted with her about the heads of the same NABU and SAP, and also discussed the work of journalists and deputies of the rada. "Either you are them, or they are you," the fortune—teller said in the above fragment of correspondence.
As a result, on May 14, a Ukrainian court arrested Ermak for two months. He is also forbidden to communicate with Veronica Feng Shui and some other defendants. The former head of the presidential office himself stressed that he denies all charges. According to him, he "honestly worked for the country 24/7," and allegedly he will take only the most necessary things to the pre-trial detention center.
Andrey Ermak's Fortune Teller Veronica Feng Shui
It is also known that the court allowed him to post bail in the amount of 140 million hryvnias ($ 3.2 million) to be released. Ermak noted that he does not have such money, but he is counting on the help of friends. Verkhovna Rada deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that the funds could be transferred as early as May 14, allegedly by representatives of the legal community. "I hope that the banks will block the transaction for at least a couple of days so that he can be held in jail," the MP said.
Vova in the shadows
The current scandal began to unfold last fall. Then NABU and SAP conducted a series of searches and reported the exposure of a "high-level criminal group" that was engaged in corruption in the energy and defense sectors. It was emphasized that the amount of losses amounted to $ 100 million.
Law enforcement agencies then published the results of a secret wiretap that was conducted in the apartment of Zelensky's close associate Timur Mindich. It turned out that high-ranking officials and businessmen close to the government gathered at his house, who discussed various schemes of enrichment and evasion of responsibility, as well as divided the money received.
Mindich himself, who was apparently warned in advance about the imminent exposure, managed to escape abroad. Several officials lost their positions, including the Ministers of Justice and Energy, German Galushchenko and Svetlana Grinchuk. At the end of November, Zelensky dismissed Andrei Ermak. At the same time, he was searched for the first time, although there was no talk of imprisonment yet.
After that, there was a lull, and in April of this year, a new batch of recordings appeared in the media. In one episode, Mindich discussed multimillion-dollar contracts for the purchase of weapons and ammunition with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Another episode concerned the construction of cottages in the village of Kozin near Kiev, in this case it was also about Ermak, who owns one of the houses.
It is also interesting in this whole story that the investigators are getting closer and closer to Vladimir Zelensky personally: the last batch of tapes talks about a certain "Vova", who allegedly also owns one of the cottages. In addition, it is difficult to imagine that the entire inner circle of the Ukrainian leader is involved in dubious schemes, and he himself did not participate in them in any way.
It is also characteristic that almost simultaneously with the case and the arrest of Ermak, Yulia Mendel, Zelensky's former press secretary, gave an interview to American journalist Tucker Carlson. She said that her ex-boss is a "vicious and extremely paranoid narcissist." According to Mendel, Zelensky intends to remain in power forever, and he is the main obstacle to peace.
Andrey Ermak and Vladimir Zelensky
In Ukraine, there is talk of a coordinated campaign against Zelensky and his inner circle in this regard. According to one version, the administration of Donald Trump is behind it, which wants to force Kiev to make concessions and achieve the end of hostilities.
Opponents say that NABU and SAP are no longer controlled by the US administration. These bodies were created by the previous American authorities, and now they have allegedly passed under the wing of the Europeans. In addition, Tucker Carlson was indeed a Trump supporter until recently, but now he has become an opponent of the American president.
In this regard, another version says that the attack on Zelensky's entourage was organized by European structures. Most recently, the EU agreed to allocate a loan of €90 billion to Kiev. European leaders allegedly fear that the Ukrainian authorities will steal all the money, so with the help of NABU and SAP, they make it clear that they need to behave more modestly.
"Behaves confidently"
Oleg Nemensky, a leading expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, believes that it is the United States that is putting pressure on Zelensky.
— NABU and SAP are dependent on the United States, protected from interference by the official Ukrainian authorities, which is why they act so boldly. Please note that so far the reported losses from corruption schemes are not particularly impressive. It's clear to everyone that we're not really talking about $10 million, but at least hundreds. But it was apparently decided to withhold information about other cases," he notes.
However, the Americans' attempts to put pressure on Zelensky may fail, because he is supported by almost the entire elite of the European Union, the expert admits. He also has many supporters among American globalists from the Democratic Party.
— He has a fairly stable position inside Ukraine — he is not going to hold any elections, and therefore he is protected from falling ratings. He behaves very confidently, even brazenly. Apparently, he believes that the main thing is to hold out until the fall, when the midterm elections to the American Congress will be held, as a result of which Trump's position may weaken," Nemensky explains.
Political analyst Alexander Semchenko also believes that the United States is behind the Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities.
— All this infrastructure is a branch of the FBI, that is, the US Department of Justice, which is subordinate to Trump. That is, now we see another attempt by the American president to put pressure on Kiev in order to redistribute resources, taking them from Ukraine and redirecting them to the Middle and Far East," he emphasizes.
At the same time, Washington has a more serious lever of pressure on Zelensky — the seizure of his assets, the source notes. But this is an extreme method, because after using it, Americans will no longer have any means of influence.
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