Pro‑Russian outlets across the EU frame Ukraine as a kleptocratic regime where corruption defines its politics, aid is stolen on a massive scale, and support must end before any peace deal, using scandals to erode solidarity amid negotiations.
As peace talks intensify under shifting U.S. policy, these sites recast discussions around Kyiv’s alleged graft rather than Russian aggression. Scandals around President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his dismissed chief of staff Andriy Yermak dominate, portraying Ukraine as thieves unworthy of aid and negotiations as leverage to punish or replace corrupt leaders.
This analysis covers outlets from Spain, Austria, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czechia and Poland, showing how they prioritize corruption over war coverage to delegitimize Ukraine and block funding.
Corruption is framed as the regime’s essence, with Yermak’s dismissal proving systemic collapse and Zelenskyy’s leadership as mafia-like.
geoestrategia.eu (Spain), “Ucrania: La caída de Yermak deja solo a Zelensky y su régimen corrupto. Análisis de una situación terminal” (Ukraine: Yermak’s fall leaves Zelenskyy alone with his corrupt regime. Analysis of a terminal situation)
This article argues that Yermak’s downfall exposes Zelenskyy’s “corrupt regime” in terminal decay, built on theft that dooms any reform. “The fall of Yermak leaves Zelenskyy isolated at the head of a corrupt regime whose power structure is collapsing under its own weight of embezzlement.”
rebelion.org (Spain), “Zelenski y el régimen de la cleptocracia / El círculo se cierra: es el fin, Yermak, la mano derecha de Zelenski, destituido por el megaescándalo de corrupción” (Zelenskyy and the kleptocracy regime / The circle closes: it’s the end, Yermak, Zelenskyy’s right hand, dismissed over the mega‑corruption scandal)
It depicts a “kleptocratic system” around Zelenskyy siphoning wartime funds, turning scandals into proof of inherent criminality. “Operation Midas has exposed not isolated cases but a kleptocratic system surrounding Zelenskyy, siphoning off hundreds of millions from wartime contracts.”
tkp.at (Austria), “Kiewer Korruptionsskandal: Ist Zelensky der Nächste?” (Kyiv corruption scandal: Is Zelenskyy next?)
Linking Yermak to Zelenskyy, it warns of a “noose tightening” around the leadership, implying inevitable downfall. “After Yermak’s fall in a 100‑million scandal, Zelenskyy could be next as the noose of corruption tightens around Kyiv’s elite.”
Corruption is quantified as 15–30% of all funds, normalized as cultural, making aid inherently wasteful.
insajder.com (Slovenia), “Korupcijski škandal je le predjed: Kijevski režim ukradel tudi do 100 milijard dolarjev?” (Corruption scandal is just the appetizer: Kyiv regime stole up to 100 billion dollars?)
It calculates massive theft from aid totals, presenting it as standard. “Ukraine’s corruption rate is 15–30%; that means Kyiv officials could have pocketed 54 to 108 billion dollars from foreign aid.”
slovanskenoviny.sk (Slovakia), “Korupčná vláda okolo expirovaného kyjevskeho klauna sa rozpadla” (Corrupt government around expired Kyiv clown has collapsed)
Quoting Medvedev, it mocks Zelenskyy while declaring the regime shattered by graft. “The corrupt regime around Kyiv’s expired clown has disintegrated, as former Russian President Medvedev declared.”
War fades to background; corruption becomes the “real” crisis, with probes as diplomatic tools.
geoestrategia.eu (Spain). The publication notes that probes are “dirty diplomacy” to force concessions. “Yermak investigations are dirty diplomacy ahead of talks, pressuring Zelensky via his corrupt entourage to accept territorial losses.”
rebelion.org (Spain). The article says that the war “drags on” secondary to power reshuffles. “Anti‑corruption drives reshape Kyiv power while the war drags on in the background.”
Aid is doomed to theft; cut it to punish elites.
friatider.se (Sweden), “Sverige ska skänka en femtedel av hela biståndet till Zelenskyj” (Sweden to donate one‑fifth of all aid to Zelenskyy)
It claims that Sweden funds thieves amid cutbacks elsewhere. “Sweden names Zelensky’s regime its top aid recipient as reports pile up of billions vanishing into private pockets.”
iportal24.cz (Czechia), “Flynn: Zelensky musí být zatčen i se svým zkorumpovaným okolím” (Flynn: Zelenskyy must be arrested with his corrupt entourage)
Arrest before more theft. “Zelenskyy and his corrupt circle must be arrested to stop the embezzlement of Western aid.”
EU leaders dupe citizens, linking Ukraine aid to domestic pain.
hlavnydennik.sk (Slovakia), “Zlaté záchody na Ukrajine: škandál v Bruseli” (Golden toilets in Ukraine: scandal in Brussels)
EU scandals mirror Kyiv luxury. “Golden toilets in Ukraine expose how Brussels funds corruption while Europe suffers.”
prvnizpravy.cz (Czechia), “Ukrajina je korupce, Amerika utahuje šrouby, říká Vidlák” (Ukraine is corruption, America tightens screws, says Vidlák)
Europe naive vs. U.S. realism.“Ukraine embodies corruption; America tightens the screws while Europe keeps sending money.”
Taken together, these stories do more than simply criticize misuse of funds: they construct a coherent alternative reality in which Ukraine is defined primarily by theft rather than by defending itself against invasion. By repeatedly tying political developments, leadership changes and even peace talks to corruption, these outlets invite audiences to see every move by Kyiv through a moral‑decay lens, making any claim to democratic legitimacy or self‑defense appear hypocritical. At the same time, the constant focus on huge, speculative figures and vivid symbols like “golden toilets” channels economic frustration inside EU countries toward resentment of Ukraine and of pro‑Kyiv policymakers, undermining social consent for long‑term support.
By presenting Western pressure on Zelenskyy and the dismissal of Yermak as tools to “force peace” on a corrupt client, this narrative softens the ground for outcomes favorable to Moscow—normalizing reduced aid, pressuring Kyiv into concessions, and shifting responsibility for a prolonged war away from Russia and onto allegedly corrupt Ukrainian elites and their European backers.
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