Yep. Putin ruined Russia but did get rich on the backs of the workers. Putin's Palace
Posted on 12/16/2025 1:35:25 PM PST by delta7
The New York Times’ recent report about his government’s responsibility for the worst corruption scandal in Ukraine’s history suggests that the walls are closing in and his foreign media allies are jumping ship out of desperation to retain some of their credibility after years of deifying him.
It was earlier assessed that “Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Investigation Is Turning Into A Rolling Coup” after it took down Zelensky’s grey cardinal Andrey Yermak, consequently weakened the already shaky alliance keeping him in power, and thus placed more pressure upon him to cede Donbass. The latest development concerns the New York Times’ (NYT) report about how “Zelensky’s Government Sabotaged Oversight, Allowing Corruption to Fester”, which brings the investigation closer to implicating him.
It also represents a stunning narrative reversal after the NYT spent the past nearly four years practically deifying him only to now inform their global audience that “President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration has stacked boards with loyalists, left seats empty or stalled them from being set up at all. Leaders in Kyiv even rewrote company charters to limit oversight, keeping the government in control and allowing hundreds of millions of dollars to be spent without outsiders poking around.”
Predictably, “Mr. Zelensky’s administration has blamed Energoatom’s supervisory board for failing to stop the corruption. But it was Mr. Zelensky’s government itself that neutered Energoatom’s supervisory board, The Times found.” Just as scandalously, “The Times found political interference not only at Energoatom but also at the state-owned electricity company Ukrenergo as well as at Ukraine’s Defense Procurement Agency”, the latter of which Kiev plans to merge with the State Logistics Operator.
None of this was a secret either: “European leaders have privately criticized but reluctantly tolerated Ukrainian corruption for years, reasoning that supporting the fight against Russia’s invasion was paramount. So, even as Ukraine undermined outside oversight, European money kept flowing.” The NYT then detailed the political meddling employed by Zelensky’s government to “impede the (supervisory) board’s ability to act” and therefore facilitate the worst corruption scandal in Ukraine’s history.
Their report is significant since it strongly suggests that there’s now tacit consensus between the NYT’s liberal-globalist backers, the conservative-nationalist Trump Administration, and the US’ permanent bureaucracy (“deep state”) about the need to expose Zelensky’s corruption. Gone are the days when he was presented as the next Churchill since he’s now being portrayed as no less corrupt than the strongmen in Global South countries that most Americans have never heard of or can place on a map.
To be sure, the aforementioned liberal-globalists and members of the “deep state” (oftentimes one and the same) still oppose Trump’s envisaged endgame in Ukraine, but they seem to have concluded that a ‘phased leadership transition’ is in their and Ukraine’s interests. It appears inevitable that the anti-corruption investigation will soon implicate Zelensky so it’s best for them to get ahead of the curve in order to retain some credibility among their audience and possibly shape the next government.
Their goal isn’t to facilitate Ukrainian concessions like Trump wants in exchange for Putin agreeing to a profitable resource-centric strategic partnership after the conflict ends but to clean up some corruption and thus optimize government operations in the hope of inspiring the West to rally around Ukraine. It’s likely a losing bet, however, since the political momentum favors Trump’s vision. In fact, his opponents’ narrative reversal arguably advances Trump’s goal, but they’ll accept that to save their credibili
guillotine for Z-ski
Now that you have provided a link, I don’t care.
Why?
Because the U.S. has not given Putin $200 Billion in Taxpayer money.
We have given Zelensky over $200 Billion in American Taxpayer money.
There is a difference.
“the only corrupt person involved in all this that matters is Putin.”
Correct.
The war will end how he says it will end.
“Putin didn’t steal millions of US taxpayers money.”
He stole millions from your fellow countrymen.
If that doesn’t upset you, you must be om his payroll.
“Putin didn’t steal millions of US taxpayers money.”
An old European adage. When you shake hands with a Russian, check for missing rings.
The Robert Kraft Super Bowl Ring Incident
In 2005, during a business trip to Russia, American businessman Robert Kraft met with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Kraft showed Putin his 2004 Super Bowl XXXIX ring, which was diamond-encrusted and valued at about $25,000.
According to Kraft’s account, Putin tried the ring on, said he “could kill someone with this ring,” put it in his pocket, and left the room accompanied by security agents. The Bush White House subsequently advised Kraft that it would be in the best interest of U.S.-Russia relations to publicly state that the ring was a gift, which he did at the time.
The Kremlin has consistently denied the theft, with a spokesman stating the ring was an intentional gift and is kept in the Kremlin library.
Broader Accusations and Allegations
Beyond the anecdote, “stealing from the U.S.” also relates to several serious allegations and confirmed activities involving the Russian government under Putin:
Cyber Warfare and Hacking: U.S. intelligence agencies have detailed how Russian military intelligence officers hacked into the computers of U.S. persons and entities involved in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, stealing documents and staging their release to interfere with the outcome.
Financial Crimes and Insider Trading: A Russian national with ties to Putin was convicted of hacking into American companies and stealing confidential financial information, which was then used for an insider trading scheme on Wall Street, resulting in millions of dollars in illegal profits.
Geopolitical Influence: The U.S. government has accused Russia of spending hundreds of millions of dollars since 2014 to covertly influence politicians and officials in various countries to bolster pro-Russian policies and undermine U.S. interests.
Kleptocracy and Corruption: U.S. Treasury officials have publicly accused Putin of being corrupt for “many, many years”. Kremlin critics, such as investor Bill Browder, estimate that Putin has stolen over $1 trillion from the Russian state coffers through corruption and money laundering, some of which may have been laundered through Western (including U.S.) banks.
https://www.google.com/search?q=putin+stole+from+usa&oq=putin+stole+from+usa
You should aspire to the kind of job he has instead of just posting here on Free Republic. I'll bet he does pretty well for himself and isn't stuck eating food in the cafeteria.
Korybko is a faux intellectual who always and only backs up and embellishes Moscow's talking points.
Yep. Putin ruined Russia but did get rich on the backs of the workers. Putin's Palace
Your Moscow-based Andrew Korybko is singing ...
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