At the risk of yet again being labeled as a “Putin stooge” or “Russian apologist,” we need to provide yet another reminder that we’re sending massive amounts of money and weapons to Ukraine and we still have no idea where some of it is ending up. But as of this week, we do know where at least some of the money has been going. It found its way into the coffers of Ihor Kolomoisky, a powerful Russian oligarch and one of the people who initially helped get Volodymyr Zelensky elected as president following his career as a television comedian. The problem apparently became obvious enough that the Ukrainian government was forced to arrest Kolomoisky this weekend in what a Kyiv spokesperson described as an ongoing “crackdown on corruption” inside of Ukraine’s halls of power. The fraud charges are expected to keep the oligarch under house arrest for at least two months while the investigation proceeds. (Redstate)

The crackdown on Ukrainian corruption continues as oligarch (and former supporter of President Volodymyr Zelensky) Ihor Kolomoisky was detained in Kyiv on Saturday pursuant to a fraud investigation.

“A Ukrainian court ordered tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky to be held in custody for two months on suspicion of fraud and money laundering on Saturday, a striking move against one of the country’s most powerful businessmen.”

“The detention of Kolomoisky, who is under U.S. sanctions and is a one-time supporter of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy whose election he backed in 2019, comes as Kyiv is trying to signal progress during a wartime crackdown on corruption.”

Redstate’s Susie Moore provides some background research from the BBC on the corruption situation in Ukraine. Zelensky very much wishes to join the EU since Ukraine’s bid to join NATO is basically dead in the water. But the EU has demanded that the country do a lot more to eliminate its own internal corruption before a vote can even be considered. Earlier this year, ten members of the Ukrainian government resigned while facing corruption charges, including Zelensky’s deputy head of office Kyrylo Tymoshenko.

Zelensky complains publicly about corruption quite a bit, but it’s a stretch to think that he’s somehow as pure as the driven snow. As I mentioned above, Kolomoisky was one of Zelensky’s earliest supporters and until recently was a vocal advocate for the president. If both Kolomoisky and Zelensky’s chief deputy had their hands in the cookie jar of American aid money, is it really possible that Zelensky himself wasn’t involved? And even if he wasn’t, should someone so completely blind to the endemic corruption surrounding him be in charge of an entire nation?

One thing we do know for sure is that a lot of American money and arms have gone missing in some mysterious fashion. Some of those oligarchs have been conspicuously growing significantly richer in the midst of a war, with several having been seen lounging on the French Riviera. And it’s been confirmed by multiple outlets that a bunch of American weaponry has ended up on the black market, including Javelin anti-tank missiles. Are these the hallmarks of the “perfect democracy” that we’re currently bankrupting ourselves to save?

And how are we to explain the stubborn refusal of the Biden administration and congressional Democrats to conduct an audit of all of this aid flowing into Ukraine? A little over a month ago, Senate Democrats blocked a vote on conducting such an audit for the third time. One possible explanation is that the “as long as it takes” crew is already growing very nervous over the majority of Americans who now oppose further aid to Ukraine. If the public is made aware of how much of their money is being flushed down a rathole of corruption while so many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, that opposition may turn into an open revolt.

At a bare minimum, American voters are entitled to a full and open audit of the aid going to Ukraine. There is already a measure on the floor of the House to make that happen. Democrats need to stop blocking it and the White House needs to stop ignoring the obvious corruption in the Ukrainian government and making out Zelensky to be some sort of modern heroic legend. Putin is no saint and he operates a tyranny out of Moscow, but the side we’re backing isn’t composed of a choir of saints either.