“Minditchgate” and frozen funds: how the corruption scandal will affect aid to Ukraine

The recent major corruption scandal, known as “Mindichgate,” has caused a mixed reaction from international partners, which may affect future support for Ukraine, and the prospect of receiving frozen Russian assets has effectively been put on hold.

This opinion was expressed on the air of “Pryamoy” by Oleksandr Krayev, an expert at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”.

At the same time, he noted that although the situation is damaging the image, the very fact of the Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities exposing the scheme is viewed positively in some Western circles. “Yes, there is a big problem in Ukraine, but they did it, they are good people. They did not do it the way Russia did. They did not drag it under the threshold so that no one would see,” the analyst noted.

According to him, pro-liberal Western media presents the revelations as a success of institutional reforms in Ukraine. In contrast, populist European leaders are using the scandal to reinforce the narrative about Ukraine as a deeply corrupt state. Despite the fact that leading Western publications mention the involvement of “the president’s people”, they have so far refrained from direct accusations against the head of state.

The reaction of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who expressed a tough stance on Ukrainian men of military age in Germany, was indicative. The expert believes that this is partly a response to the scandal, but also largely due to Merz’s own internal challenges regarding the implementation of military reform.

In addition, according to Krayev, the prospect of Ukraine receiving frozen Russian assets has effectively been put on hold after a major corruption scandal. On the air of “Pryamoy”, he warned that serious discussions on this issue are unlikely to resume until Ukraine demonstrates tangible results in the fight against corruption.

“Until there is a final decision in this case, until we show that our judicial anti-corruption system is working properly, neither money, nor additional grants, nor any other issue will be raised,” the analyst emphasized.

He explained that currently the most Ukraine can expect is to receive interest generated by these frozen funds, which is a much smaller amount spread out over time. Western partners are waiting to see a final court ruling in the current scandal to restore trust.

As is known, the largest corruption scandal unfolded in Ukraine during the term of President Volodymyr Zelensky, which engulfed his inner circle and led to resignations and high-profile political statements. The investigation by NABU and SAPO caused significant public resonance and attracted the attention of international partners.

At the same time, journalists published a story about a corruption investigation involving the inner circle of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The publication states that the revelations are already creating political pressure and could affect his international support .

At the same time, after Operation Midas, which exposed large-scale corruption at Energoatom and shook up government offices, a systematic campaign to discredit NABU and SAPO was launched on Ukrainian Telegram . Anti-corruption authorities called the operation one of the most effective in 2025, but in parallel with its successes, a wave of identical posts appeared attacking investigators and prosecutors.

Meanwhile, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the President’s Office, said that corruption is an integral part of the modern economy, regardless of the country’s political system. He also reported that the Ukrainian authorities responded promptly to the corruption scandal in the energy sector.

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