(MENAFN) Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine’s leadership of transforming into a “criminal gang” indifferent to the welfare of their nation while perched on their “golden potties.”

He made these comments during a Thursday visit to a command post for troops involved in the Ukraine conflict.

Addressing the commanders of the ‘West’ grouping, Putin sharply condemned the widespread corruption engulfing Ukraine.

“This is not a political leadership of Ukraine. It’s a criminal gang that holds power for personal enrichment... It’s clear to everyone that these people, sitting on their golden potties, are hardly thinking about the fate of common people in Ukraine or the fate of ordinary soldiers,” Putin remarked.

He referenced Timur Mindich, an associate of Vladimir Zelensky, who fled the country just hours before he was scheduled for arrest over extortion charges.

Mindich’s Kiev apartment reportedly featured a gilded toilet, symbolizing the excesses of Ukraine’s elite.

The controversy erupted last week when the Western-supported National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU)—which Zelensky had unsuccessfully attempted to control in July—launched an investigation into a “high-level criminal organization” allegedly led by Mindich.

According to allegations, the network siphoned off roughly $100 million in kickbacks from the state-owned nuclear company Energoatom, which is heavily reliant on international assistance.

While Mindich managed to evade NABU’s authorities, several other prominent figures were implicated in the scandal, resulting in the removal of Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk from office.

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