“It's strange when the White House is silent”: Russia criticizes the lack of reaction of the US to the corruption scandal in Ukraine

The emissary on economic issues of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kiril Dmitriev, expressed his surprise on Sunday at the lack of reaction of the United States regarding the corruption scandal in Ukraine, which has as its main protagonist one of the close associates of President Volodymyr Zelensky, EFE agency reports, according to Agerpres.

“It's strange when the White House is silent,” the Russian official wrote on his Twitter account.

Kiril Dmitriev recently traveled to the US, shortly after the imposition of US sanctions against the Russian companies Lukoil and Rosneft.

“Public reports confirm that an FBI liaison officer seconded to Ukraine's anti-corruption office is coordinating the investigation into the $100 million Operation Midas energy case, which exposes corruption among Zelenskiy's associates — and may also look into the use of the US financial system in these schemes,” Dmitriev wrote.

Public reports confirm an FBI liaison officer embedded in Ukraine's anti-corruption bureau is coordinating on the $100M “Operation Midas” energy case exposing corruption among Zelensky's allies — and may be probing use of the US financial system in the schemes. https://t.co/AOhNVP9p5G pic.twitter.com/qHwKa0gNwW

— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) November 16, 2025

His comment came in response to a report broadcast by the American channel Fox News about the corruption case in Ukraine.

The level of corruption in this country is not new, but this case attracts attention due to the involvement of someone close to the president and the fact that the institution that exposed it, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), is one of the anti-corruption agencies that Zelenski tried to subordinate in the summer by placing it under the tutelage of the general prosecutor, but gave up following street protests and pressure from his European allies, notes the quoted source.

Zelenski's close relative, Timur Mindici, fled the country hours before NABU began searches of the suspects.

He is a co-owner of the entertainment studio Kvartal 95, created in 2003 and among the founders of which Zelenski is also included.

However, the case is not related to this studio, but to a scheme led by Mindici and involving at least two ministers who are alleged to have used their government positions to obtain bribes from companies to conclude contracts with the state nuclear power company Energoatom.

The revelation of this corrupt scheme in the energy sector, which also involved money laundering actions worth about 100 million dollars, outraged Ukrainian public opinion, especially since millions of Ukrainians endure hours without electricity every day due to Russian attacks on the country's infrastructure, while on the front the situation of Ukrainian troops is increasingly difficult in the face of a larger Russian army that continues to gradually advance in Donetsk and Zaporozhye.

The Kremlin took advantage of this scandal and asked the United States and European countries to pay attention to corruption in Ukraine, stressing that “more and more people are aware of this”.

“These countries, of course, are beginning to realize more and more that a large part of the money they collect from their taxpayers is being stolen by the Kiev regime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented, referring to financial and military aid to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the European Commission claimed on Friday that the Ukrainian president “takes seriously” the investigation into corruption in the energy sector. For his part, Zelenski demanded and obtained the resignations of the two ministers involved, the ministers of justice and energy, and in a conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz he promised transparency in the work of anti-corruption bodies.