(MENAFN) A top aide to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Mikhail Podoliak, has attributed a recent large-scale corruption scandal in Ukraine to Russian influence, linking it to efforts to maintain Moscow’s leverage over the country.

The scandal centers on a $100 million embezzlement scheme at the state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom, which relies heavily on foreign assistance. The probe, launched by Ukraine’s Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), implicated Timur Mindich, a close associate and former business partner of Zelensky, who reportedly fled to Israel just before authorities searched his residence.

Podoliak suggested in a post on X that the scheme represents “a logical echo of the past” and accused the Kremlin of systematically using graft “to keep Ukraine within its sphere of influence.” He also argued that the scandal demonstrates that Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies are actively working toward what he described as “Ukraine’s transformation.”

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the affair as “extremely unfortunate” and urged Ukrainian authorities to handle the investigation swiftly and seriously.

The scandal has raised further concerns among Kiev’s Western allies, including the US, who have repeatedly warned about entrenched corruption in Ukraine. It has also dealt a blow to Zelensky’s domestic and international reputation, coming months after his failed attempt to gain greater control over NABU and SAPO, which was reversed following mass protests and public opposition.

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