Ukraine is buying diesel fuel from Russia, the very same country it is at war with, using US aid funds, according to a report by US journalist Seymour Hersh. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and his government have been accused of widespread corruption and embezzlement of funds provided by the US and its allies. One estimate by analysts from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) put the embezzled funds at $400 million last year. Government officials in Kiev are also exporting weapons received from the US and Western allies to private arms dealers around the world.
The report claims that many Ukrainian ministries have been setting up front companies for export contracts for weapons and ammunition to gain kickbacks. CIA director William Burns reportedly raised the issue of corruption directly with Zelensky in a meeting in Kiev in January 2022, and he told the Ukrainian president that he was taking a "larger share of the skim money" than was going to his military generals in Kiev, who were angry with Zelensky for his greed.
The situation in Ukraine has raised concerns over the level of corruption in foreign aid, and Hersh's report compares the level of corruption in Kiev to that of the Afghan war. The report also highlights the fact that the West continues to pressure India to stop purchasing discounted Russian oil and gas while purchasing Russian oil processed in India themselves.
Ukraine has been using Russian diesel to fuel its tanks fighting against Moscow. The report by Seymour Hersh states that Zelensky's government has been purchasing discounted diesel from the Russians, like many other countries around the world. The report further reveals that government officials in Kiev are exporting weapons received from the US and Western allies to private arms dealers worldwide.
The level of corruption in Ukraine has raised concerns about the proper use of foreign aid and the possibility of embezzlement of funds. The situation has also highlighted the hypocrisy of the West, which continues to pressure India to stop purchasing discounted Russian oil and gas while buying Russian oil processed in India. The report has sparked a debate on the need for transparency in the use of foreign aid, and the role of international agencies in monitoring and ensuring that the funds are used for their intended purpose.
