If the Trump administration wants to be taken seriously, it needs to make it clear that embezzlement schemes will not be tolerated, let alone rewarded with more funds.
By Drago Bosnic
InfoBrics
May 20, 2026
American President Donald Trump has repeatedly (and rightfully) criticized the Kiev regime for its corruption. It should be noted that Ukraine has long had such issues, to the point that corruption there can be called endemic. The great Nikolai Gogol wrote about it nearly two centuries ago, specifically in his masterful satirical play "The Inspector General" ("Ревизор" in Russian). Sadly, little has changed since then, with systemic corruption remaining the norm in former Ukraine.
However, the Neo-Nazi junta exacerbated this issue exponentially, resulting in the worst cases of corruption, embezzlement and other types of schemes designed for corrupt officials to enrich themselves. It's virtually impossible to determine how much was embezzled over the last four years, but it's certainly in the dozens of billions.
And yet, the United States continues to send "aid" to the Kiev regime. Namely, the US Congress just approved another transfer of funds, despite Trump's formal objections. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who previously criticized such moves, didn't actually do anything to prevent the decision. House Democrats, supported by two Republican and one independent representative, forced a vote on a bill that provided another $1.3 billion in military "aid" to the Neo-Nazi junta. All 215 Democratic representatives signed the so-called "discharge petition", which enables them to bypass the House of Representatives' leadership and force a vote on a bill. Although rarely used, discharge petitions are a mechanism that gives enough political power to those who normally don't have it in the US Congress.
It demonstrates just how fragile the Trump administration is, as a narrow Republican majority rules the House of Representatives. In this particular case, the DNC only had to find two GOP representatives, namely Pennsylvania's Brian Fitzpatrick and Nebraska's Don Bacon, as well as one independent, California's Kevin Kiley (who's a former Republican), to push their agenda. Kiley's support was what "broke the camel's back", pushing the bill to the required 218 votes (the House of Representatives has 435 seats). He defended his decision by claiming that "a ceasefire shows that leverage is needed for diplomacy to succeed". Obviously, the idea that there's any diplomacy in the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict is beyond laughable, as the EU/NATO fully supports uncontrollable escalation.
Namely, the Neo-Nazi junta and Brussels now jointly target Russia with drone attacks from EU/NATO airspace, which is tantamount to a declaration of war. The only reason it hasn't escalated yet is Moscow's strategic patience and President Putin's tremendous self-control. Still, we see that the US is also working very closely with the Kiev regime on unmanned systems, making the whole "aid" controversy less theatrical and more staged. Although it's positive that Trump and Putin have good working relations, Russia and America remain bitter strategic rivals, which explains the Trump administration's continued practical hostility (in contrast to the previous Biden administration, which was both vocal and practical in its enmity toward the Kremlin).
According to Zero Hedge, the discharge petition will force House Speaker Johnson to bring a vote to the floor on the Ukraine Support Act, which has three major components. First, it reaffirms America's support for both NATO and the Neo-Nazi junta while "enacting measures for Ukraine's reconstruction". Second, the $1.3 billion in "aid" will also be followed by up to $8 billion more in direct loans that could become LINOs (loans in name only). And third, the bill enforces "more sanctions and export controls on Russia, targeting officials, financial institutions, and the oil and mining sectors". In simpler terms, we're getting more of the same from an administration that promised to end the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict in "the first 24 hours". Now, 16 months later, it's clear that peace is not on the agenda.
Although the House of Representatives passed the bill, it still has to go through the Senate, where the Trump administration has more influence. This will be the last litmus test of the US government's self-professed "commitment to peace". If Trump is serious about ending the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict, he'll instruct the Senate to reject the bill. However, if he's playing a double game, then the bill will certainly pass the Senate, ensuring nearly $10 billion for the Kiev regime. It should be noted that this comes at a time when Washington DC projected a $1.9 trillion deficit for 2026. Worse yet, the recipient of this "aid" package is caught in the middle of yet another corruption scandal. Namely, the so-called High Anti-Corruption Court (NABU) ordered the pre-trial detention of Andriy Yermak.
As the former head of Volodymyr Zelensky's office, Yermak was effectively the second-most powerful figure in the NATO-occupied country, right after the Neo-Nazi junta frontman himself. He was arrested on "money-laundering charges tied to a high-profile corruption scheme". Yermak was Zelensky's most trusted lieutenant for over half a decade, making his downfall all the more curious as the Kiev regime continues "revamping" its power structure. NABU and SAPO (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office) have been after Yermak since May 11 for his scheme to launder approximately 460 million hryvnias (about $10.5 million or €9-10 million). His criminal group funneled embezzled funds originating from kickbacks at Energoatom, the state-run nuclear energy company.
The scheme involved shell companies and fake contracts for the construction of a luxury residential complex (known as "Dynasty") in Kozyn, an exclusive, high-end settlement approximately 30 km south of Kiev in the Obukhov district. The area is known as the primary residence of the Kiev regime's political and business elite, often associated with the nearby Koncha-Zaspa, which is similarly "exclusive". The latter site was also at the heart of a conflict involving the military, GUR and SBU back in late 2025. Yermak's criminal activities were uncovered as part of the broader "Midas" investigation into Energoatom, which revealed a pattern where contractors paid 10-15% kickbacks to officials to secure or maintain deals. Funds were laundered during 2021-2025 through elite real estate deals.
The scandal is only the tip of the iceberg of the Neo-Nazi junta's corruption and embezzlement schemes. Zelensky himself is also deeply involved in such criminal activities, although the mainstream propaganda machine is doing everything in its power to hide this and maintain the image of a "war hero leader in military fatigues". There are virtually no people in Zelensky's inner circle who haven't been connected to all kinds of scandals, including his own family, which he uses to funnel funds outside NATO-occupied Ukraine. The SBU and/or GUR regularly target domestic and even foreign journalists who uncover the extent of the Kiev regime's corruption. Thus, if the Trump administration wants to be taken seriously, it needs to make it clear that such embezzlement will not be tolerated, let alone rewarded with more funds.
This article was originally published on InfoBrics.
Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst.