Die Welt: Zelensky’s silence on corruption scandal will determine Ukraine’s future

German newspaper Die Welt has examined the details of the corruption scandal surrounding the elite cooperative “Dynastiya” and concluded that how President Volodymyr Zelensky handles the case will determine his political future — and the future of Ukraine as a whole.

The occasion for the publication was the release of former head of the presidential office Andriy Yermak from pretrial detention. Journalists drew attention to a notable detail: among those who contributed money toward Yermak’s bail, Zelensky — the man the outlet describes as “his closest trusted friend” — was not present. The president continues to record daily video addresses and comment on the course of the war, but remains silent on the question of his possible involvement in a scandal that implicates several of his associates.

“There is not a single serious public statement and no visible consequences. Zelensky must provide the people of Ukraine with a political answer,” — Darya Kaleniuk, executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, told Die Welt.

Die Welt notes that despite Zelensky’s constitutional immunity, how he handles the scandal could determine his political future. The outlet also recalls that Kyiv must carry out deep anti-corruption reforms in order to preserve its chances of EU membership — while Zelensky himself, during his election campaign, promised to “free Ukraine from the clutches of corruption.”

At the center of the investigation is an elite cooperative in Kozyn, Kyiv region. Yermak has been charged with money laundering; according to investigators, funds for construction came in part from corrupt schemes at Energoatom. Journalists draw attention to the brazenness of those involved: they discussed interior design details not only on the eve of the full-scale war, but also in the first weeks after the full-scale invasion.

“Individual villas were allegedly designated by code names R1, R2, R3, and R4 to conceal the actual owners. Investigators attribute villa R2 to Yermak. The main unanswered question in the indictment remains: for whom was the fourth elite property, R1, built?” — writes Die Welt.

The outlet recalls that the “Mindych tapes” mention a “Vova.” At the same time, NABU emphasizes that Zelensky is not a subject of the investigation. Kaleniuk, however, frames the question differently:

“How could it happen that directly under his leadership, his closest confidant Andriy Yermak, his former business partner, and two ministers were linked to an organized group that was allegedly stealing money in the energy sector and investing that money in elite real estate on the outskirts of Kyiv?”

The Die Welt piece also mentions an article by ZN.UA domestic politics editor Inna Vedernikova titled “Tribute from the war. How the authorities are appropriating Ukraine and what we must remember so that it does not happen again.” The German outlet calls it “monumental” and highlights several arguments: that the authorities built a parallel system during the war, that Ukraine is at an impasse, and that key figures have remained in their positions.

At the same time, Kaleniuk sees genuine progress in what is happening, calling the charges against the second most powerful person in the country unprecedented. Die Welt, for its part, notes that the anti-corruption system remains functional and that society is closely watching how the situation develops.

Yermak himself has stated that he does not consider “the mere fact of constructing some unknown residence” to constitute a criminal offense. At a hearing on his appeal before the High Anti-Corruption Court, he added that the investigation does not have evidence of his involvement in money laundering.