In 2012, responding to questions at a major press conference, Vladimir Putin described corruption as a “traditional Russian problem” and immediately cited a historical anecdote about Peter the Great. He stressed that such phenomena are characteristic of “all developing countries.” For decades, Russian propaganda relied on this logic: if corruption exists everywhere, then Russia’s level is no exception and not grounds for systemic criticism. Thirteen years later, an almost identical argument was voiced in Kyiv.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, commenting on the “Mindich tapes” scandal—recordings involving Tymur Mindich, Oleksiy Chernyshov and other associates of Zelensky suspected of running corruption schemes around Energoatom—said that corruption is “an integral part of the modern economy.” In effect, he repeated the same reasoning used by the Russian authorities to blunt the impact of corruption scandals and defuse public criticism.
Mykhailo Podolyak describes corruption as “an integral part of the modern economy.”
Sanctions Against Opponents vs. Sanctions Against Allies
Why the Restrictions Imposed on Mindich and Zuckerman Turned Out Milder Than Those Targeting Figures the Government Saw as Adversaries—A Comparative Table
Ukraine’s Showcase in Wartime
How a Shield Against Russian Disinformation Has Become a Shield Against Criticism of the Country’s Leadership
The public stance of the Ukrainian authorities on this episode appears particularly contradictory against the backdrop of their constant criticism of Russian propaganda for using similar justifications. As the scandal intensifies, such statements do not dampen the discussion—they give it new momentum and inevitably invite comparisons with the rhetoric that for years echoed from Moscow.