By Constant Méheut & Kim Barker | December 5, 2025
Kyiv, Ukraine — A New York Times investigation has found that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government systematically weakened independent oversight of state-owned companies, allowing corruption to persist even as billions in Western aid flowed into the country during wartime.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. and European allies insisted on strict monitoring mechanisms, including supervisory boards staffed with independent experts. These boards were meant to oversee major spending decisions, appoint executives, and ensure that wartime funds were not misappropriated.
However, Zelensky’s administration stacked boards with loyalists, left positions vacant, or stalled appointments, effectively neutering these watchdogs. The government also rewrote company charters to limit the boards’ powers, keeping control centralized and allowing hundreds of millions of dollars to be spent without independent scrutiny.
Supervisory boards, which typically include foreign experts, are considered essential for transparency and accountability in Ukraine’s state-owned enterprises, which control critical sectors such as energy distribution, weapons procurement, and nuclear power.
Critics argue that the undermining of oversight measures has allowed graft to flourish, complicating the efforts of Ukraine’s allies to ensure that aid funds support the war effort rather than line private pockets.
