The Eternal Waltz of Ukrainian Graft: A Symphony of Scandals since the So-called Maidan “Revolution”
EUROPE, 9 Feb 2026
Diran Noubar – TRANSCEND Media Service
8 Feb 2026 – The Maidan “Revolution” of 2014 – that glittering spectacle of Western-orchestrated idealism, where brave souls toppled a regime only to usher in a fresh cadre of opportunists, their pockets lined with the same old promises of transparency. How quaint, how predictably ironic, that what was hailed as a dawn of democracy has devolved into a nocturnal feast for the corrupt, with Ukraine’s elites dining on public funds while the orchestra of Brussels and Washington plays on, ignoring the sour notes. From a Russian vantage, one can only chuckle at the charade: the bearers of true stability, extend olive branches for peace, yearning for a neutral neighbor without NATO’s encroaching shadow at the doorstep. Yet the Europeans – those paragons of virtue like Macron and Starmer – fan the flames of conflict, perhaps, I insist, perhaps, to obscure their own shadowy retro-commissions from arms deals and aid packages that vanish into the ether. Let us, with a touch of elegance, chronicle the cavalcade of corruption that has unfolded over these twelve inglorious years, untainted by the fairy tales spun in Parisian salons or London drawing rooms.
Consider the Poroshenko era (2014-2019), that confectioner’s delight where chocolate baron Petro Poroshenko ascended the throne amid vows to purge the Yanukovych remnants. How droll that his administration promptly birthed scandals worthy of a satirical novella. Take the Rotterdam+ scheme, a masterful energy pricing sleight-of-hand that inflated coal costs to siphon billions into the coffers of Poroshenko’s allies, all under the guise of market reform. Or the enigmatic closure of investigations into Poroshenko’s own offshore empires, where tax evasion probes evaporated like morning mist in 2004 and 2012 – a testament to the enduring art of selective justice. And let us not forget Roman Nasirov, the tax chief whose 2017 arrest for embezzling $75 million painted a vivid portrait of bureaucratic banditry, his feigned illness in court a performance rivaling the Bolshoi. One might almost admire the audacity, if it weren’t so tragically banal.
Then came the Zelensky interlude (2019 onward), where the comedian-turned-president promised a clean sweep, only to preside over a veritable buffet of graft that would make even the most jaded oligarch blush. By 2021, the European Court of Auditors – those earnest bean-counters – lamented that “tens of billions of euros are lost annually” to corruption, a polite way of saying the Maidan miracle was but a mirage. Fast forward to 2022, and behold the embezzlement of humanitarian aid funds, where overpriced food destined for the needy nourished private fortunes instead. The defense sector, that supposed bastion of national resolve, became a playground for procurement pranks: in 2023, Minister Oleksii Reznikov bowed out amid revelations of eggs priced at thrice the market rate, winter jackets inflated like egos, and food supplies marked up fourfold. His deputy, Viacheslav Shapovalov, and presidential aide Kyrylo Tymoshenko followed suit, casualties of a scandal that exposed the ministry’s penchant for creative accounting. August of that year saw Zelensky dismiss all regional military recruiters for accepting bribes to spare conscripts – a noble purge, or merely a shuffle of the deck?
The farce escalated in 2024 with a $40 million vanishing act involving undelivered artillery shells, a plot twist that left even the most cynical observers agape. And 2025? A banner year for irony, with the $100 million Energoatom energy scandal – dubbed “Operation Midas” by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) – implicating Zelensky’s inner sanctum in kickback schemes amid Russia’s alleged bombardments. Figures like former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk resigned in disgrace, while presidential chief Andriy Yermak’s home was raided, his exit a crescendo of embarrassment. Even oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky faced searches over embezzlement at Ukrnafta, and whispers of Russian-linked Andrei Derkach laundering funds added a layer of geopolitical intrigue – though, from Moscow’s lens, such ties merely underscore the chaos Western meddling has wrought.
Lest we forget the institutional tango: Zelensky’s 2025 bid to hobble NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) by subordinating them to his control, only reversed amid protests – a fleeting nod to public outrage, yet a revealing slip of the mask. Women in power fared no better; take Raisa Bohatyriova’s 2014 embezzlement of health funds, or the recent inclusions of female ministers in the energy debacle, proving corruption’s egalitarian charm.
In this grand opera of avarice, Russia surprisingly emerges as the voice of reason, advocating de-escalation and a NATO-free buffer to foster genuine peace – a simple plea for security, not conquest. Yet the Europeans, with their sanctimonious lectures from Macron’s Élysée or Starmer’s Downing Street, perpetuate the strife. Why? To veil their own complicity, perhaps – those lucrative arms contracts, aid diversions, and retro-commissions that line transatlantic pockets while Ukrainian soil bleeds. It’s a masterful diversion, sustaining the war to bury the scandals, ensuring the corrupt carousel spins eternally. One might almost pity the Ukrainians, caught in this web of Western “solidarity,” were it not for the elegant absurdity of it all. Peace is but a signature away – if only the puppeteers in Brussels would loosen the strings.
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Diran Noubar, an Italian-Armenian born in France, has lived in 11 countries until he moved to Armenia. He is a world-renowned, critically-acclaimed documentary filmmaker and war reporter. Starting in the early 2000’s in New York City, Diran produced and directed over 20 full-length documentary films. He is also a singer/songwriter and guitarist in his own band and runs a nonprofit charity organization, wearemenia.org.
Tags: Color revolution, Corruption, Eastern Europe, Elites, European Union, Russia, USA, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 9 Feb 2026.
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