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Viktor Kovalenko

@MrKovalenko

Nov 11, 2025

https://x.com/MrKovalenko/status/1988269738879824321

1 /🧵 The corruption scandal surrounding the Ukrainian President, which I mentioned in my Tuesday morning newsletter, is escalating by the hour.

Moments ago, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies (NABU and SAP) charged Olexiy Chernyshov, a former Vice Prime Minister who had recently toured Europe seeking funds for war-torn Ukraine.

Investigators allege that he, both directly and through an intermediary, accepted $1.2 million and 100,000 euros in cash from a criminal group tied to a former business partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky. This group reportedly extorted over $100 million in kickbacks from contractors of EnergoAtom, the nuclear agency.

Today, searches, high-profile indictments, arrests, and attempts by suspects to flee the country go on. To be continued.🧵

https://x.com/MrKovalenko/status/1988269738879824321

2 / 🧵In response to a major corruption scandal at EnergoAtom, Ukraine’s government today abruptly revoked the credentials of the nuclear agency’s Supervisory Council. The council appoints top managers, some of whom are now accused of taking kickbacks, facing indictments, being arrested, or fleeing the country. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko distanced herself from the scandal, stating that “the council was fully autonomous.”

Meanwhile, council member Timofey Milovanov, director of a Kyiv business school and a well-known media figure often quoted in Western news outlets, resigned to avoid reputational damage and personal accountability for the council’s decisions which enabled top-level corruption. biz.liga.net/en/all/tek/nov…

3 / 🧵Instead of addressing his alleged role in a corruption scheme uncovered by NABU and SAP involving his close circle and business partner, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky chose to visit Kherson today, shifting media attention.
He’s generating a steady stream of upbeat images from the trip, taken at a spot where Hollywood star Angelina Jolie was seen just days earlier.
His pictures and videos from hospitals and with children are undeniably charming, but they serve as a short-term distraction from a massive ongoing corruption scandal—buying time until his advisers figure out how to protect his reputation.

Read 5 tweets

Viktor Kovalenko

@MrKovalenko

Mar 18, 2025

x.com/MrKovalenko/st…

After two hours delay, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have begun a highly anticipated phone call, according to the statement from the White House. apnews.com/article/trump-… x.com/MrKovalenko/st…

2/ White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino said that Putin and Trump have been in phone discussions since 2 pm London time (10 am in Washington), and the ongoing call now surpassed the 90-minute mark. (Sky News) The delay was about an hour, not two hours.

3/ American and Russian media report that the Trump-Putin phone call has just ended after at least 90-minutes-long conversation. More details soon.

Read 5 tweets

Viktor Kovalenko

@MrKovalenko

Feb 6, 2024

Today, the Ukrainian Parliament issued a subpoena to the head of the Security Service of #Ukraine (@ServiceSsu; SBU) a fresh Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk, 40 due to the outrageous fact that his agents did clandestine surveillance of Ukrainian #journalists from the "Bihus Info" media who investigate corruption in the government.

Currently, the SBU is in a crisis communications mode disseminating press releases that "nothing to see here" and "the scapegoats have been already fired". The service is trying to shut down this scandal of Watergate proportions and divert attention from the well established link between them and the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the law, the SBU reports directly to the President.

Nobody heard about a regular SBU agent Maliuk before President Zelensky came to power. But after 2019, he began making a career with a speed of light. He was promoted to top positions incl. the department "K" (investigations of corruption which the "Bihus Info" apparently does better). In 2022, the Zelensky's childhood friend Ivan Bakanov screwed up as the SBU chief, so President replaced him with Mr. Maliuk. In a tough 2022, it was a right choice. Maliuk launched the cleanup from the Russian agents and collaborators, blew up the the Kerch bridge, and destroyed other targets inside Russia. For that, Zelensky awarded him with the Lt. Gen. rank.

But it's hard to imagine that Lt. Gen. Maliuk had no idea that his Department of Statehood Protection investigates journalists for a long time. As the SBU chief, he approves and supervises all operations. It is possible that Lt. Gen. Maliuk, as being thankful to Zelensky for career promotions, wasn't able to say "no" when he picked up his phone and saw the number that belongs to the presidential office. Soon, the Parliament is going to ask Mr. Maliuk the key question: Who is behind the surveillance of journalists?

2/ The next turn in the Ukrainian political scandal about government surveillance of journalists of "Bihus Info". Today, the office of the Prosecutor General stripped the Security Service of #Ukraine of this investigation as its agents turned out to be the crime suspects. The Prosecutor General ordered the State Bureau of Investigations to launch an independent inquiry instead. t.me/pgo_gov_ua/214…

3/ The head of the Ukrainian NGO "The Center of Resistance to Corruption" Vitaliy Shabunin said that the office of #Ukraine President Zelensky is by default responsible for the @ServiceSSU surveillance of journalists of "Bihus Info" unless real organizers ot this will be found and indicted. facebook.com/vitaliy.shabun…

Read 4 tweets

Viktor Kovalenko

@MrKovalenko

Jan 8, 2024

The third in a row massive Russian missile/drone attack on #Ukraine to be this Monday morning.👉The open intel reports about 9 Russian Tu-95 that departed the far remote Olenya airbase near Murmansk. Each bomber can carry 4 cruise missiles which means 36 missiles maximum. The bombers will reach the launch area in 2,5 hours from now - at 5am Kyiv time. Let God save Ukraine and bless its air defenses!

2/ The third largest Russian air strike on #Ukraine in 2 weeks just began. Airborne 11 bombers Tu-95, 4 bombers Tu-22, and a dozen of bombers Su-34/35. The Russian cruise missiles are penetrating the Ukrainian airspace.

3/ Two groups of Russian cruise missiles are currently in the Ukrainian airspace heading towards Vinnytsa and Poltava regions. The third wave of missiles is on approach to the border.

Read 21 tweets

Viktor Kovalenko

@MrKovalenko

Sep 19, 2023

Ups. This is a very serious sign that the western partners are tired of #Zelensky and his team when President of the key #Ukraine's partner #Poland Andrzej Duda refuses to see @ZelenskyyUa at the UN, and makes a harsh statement comparing him to "a sinking adrenalin-driven guy whom we should keep on a distance because he can sink all of us who try to save him". -- This US visit of Zelensky is becoming a disaster.

2/ This is even worse than I thought. "Polish president on grain dispute: "Ukraine is like a drowning man, it can drag us into the depths." pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/…

3/ So, this is the "food war" that erupted between #Poland and #Ukraine. Ukraine is going to ban at least Polish onions, tomatoes, cabbage, and apples. This will be a surprise for the newly appointed Ukraine's defense minister Rustem Umerov who has no idea that his fighting army will soon run out of veggies and fruits.

Read 5 tweets

Viktor Kovalenko

@MrKovalenko

Sep 13, 2023

This night, Russian social media report about a series of explosions in #Sevastopol city, the naval base of the Russian fleet in the occupied #Crimea that belongs to #Ukraine. First available visuals show not only intercepts of the low-flying objects but confirm several ground explosions from something that actually penetrated the air defenses. Allegedly, the city power station, docked military vessels in the Southern Bay and the Naval Repair Factory were hit.

2/ According to Russian Telegram channels, it was actually a Ukrainian missile that penetrated the #Sevastopol air defenses and struck the Naval Shipbuilding & Repair Factory causing massive fire.

3/ Here is the smartphone video filmed by the #Sevastopol-based girl tonight. You can hear the sound of the fast approaching missile and the explosion. In August, #Ukraine said that they developed their own missile able to hit targets up to 350 miles (700 km), so the occupied #Crimea is withing this range.