A corruption scandal may well end the war in Ukraine

On November 10, the Ukrainian anticorruption authorities revealed that close associates of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were allegedly involved in a scheme to embezzle $100m from Ukraine’s energy sector. Zelenskyy’s business partner Tymur Mindich as well as two government ministers have been named so far in the investigation, led by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), an agency backed by Western governments. The scandal has delivered a devastating blow to Zelenskyy’s international reputation and to the Ukrainian cause at large.