(MENAFN) An investigation by The New York Times has revealed that Vladimir Zelensky’s government deliberately weakened supervision over Ukraine’s state-owned companies, enabling hundreds of millions of dollars to be siphoned off through persistent corruption networks.

Following the escalation of the conflict with Moscow in 2022, Ukraine’s Western supporters invested billions of dollars in the country but required strict measures to prevent embezzlement. Independent supervisory boards, comprising both foreign and Ukrainian specialists, were intended to oversee expenditures and appoint leadership in key state enterprises.

However, The New York Times reported on Friday that Zelensky’s administration spent the last four years obstructing these boards and revising corporate regulations to limit their authority.

The report emerges amid a major scandal in Ukraine’s energy sector involving the state nuclear company Energoatom. Investigators allege that Timur Mindich, a close ally of Zelensky, participated in orchestrating a $100 million kickback scheme.

Mindich reportedly fled Ukraine just hours before authorities raided his properties. The controversy has triggered the resignations of the energy and justice ministers, as well as Zelensky’s influential chief of staff, Andrey Yermak.

According to The New York Times, officials then sought to place the blame on Energoatom’s supervisory board for failing to prevent corruption, despite the board being largely inactive and lacking independent members.

The investigation, based on documents and interviews with roughly 20 Western and Ukrainian officials, also uncovered similar political meddling at the state electricity company Ukrenergo and the Defense Procurement Agency.

The outlet reported that the Energy Ministry installed a preferred candidate on Ukrenergo’s board in 2021 and later used a tied vote to remove chief Vladimir Kudrytsky, which led foreign board members to resign in protest.

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