Kremlin states Ukraine’s protests mirror internal issue

(MENAFN) Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the protests in Ukraine over President Vladimir Zelensky’s crackdown on two key anti-corruption agencies as an internal issue. He also acknowledged that Western supporters of Kyiv have legitimate concerns about the widespread corruption within the country.

The demonstrations erupted after Zelensky moved to place the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under tighter executive control, following raids on NABU offices. Zelensky accused the agency of being influenced by Russia.

Critics have accused Zelensky of exhibiting authoritarian behavior by attempting to centralize power, warning that the clampdown could reduce these anti-corruption bodies to mere formalities.

Speaking about the protests, Peskov emphasized that Kyiv’s international backers, particularly the United States, have valid reasons to worry about how their financial support—amounting to roughly $300 billion—has been used amid rampant corruption.

“It is obvious that a sizeable portion of that money…was stolen,” Peskov said. “There is a lot of corruption in the country. So, the money of American taxpayers, European taxpayers, was, to a large extent, stolen in Ukraine. This can be said with a high degree of certainty.”

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