00:00Let me start with a question that's already exploding in our comment section.
00:05How much corruption will it take before Washington finally stops pretending Ukraine is a spotless democracy?
00:13Tell me in the comments right now.
00:15Should the US freeze all aid until a full investigation happens?
00:20Yes or no?
00:21And if you're new here, hit subscribe.
00:24Because stories like this don't get a lot of coverage on mainstream feeds.
00:28And it's your support.
00:30That enables us to keep up the focus.
00:43Alright, let's talk.
00:45Because when a sitting US Senator Rand Paul openly accuses President Donald Trump of staying silent on a $100 million Ukrainian corruption scandal,
00:56something is shifting.
00:58And when that scandal involves Timur Mindich, the man Ukrainian insiders literally call Zelensky's wallet,
01:05the whole narrative of the last four years starts cracking like old paint.
01:11This isn't some blog chatter.
01:13This isn't a telegram rumor.
01:16This is Ukraine's own anti-corruption agencies, Nabu and Sapo, dropping receipts, paper trails, hard ones.
01:24The kind with wiretaps, code names, offshore accounts and ministers sprinting for the exit.
01:30Now, the whole thing started two days ago when Ukraine's anti-corruption operatives raided a luxury apartment in Kiev.
01:38But the star of the show, Timur Mindich was already gone, slipped out of the country hours earlier like he knew exactly when that knock was coming.
01:48And honestly, he probably did.
01:52Because this wasn't just some contractor.
01:56This was the co-owner of Zelensky's studio.
01:59Long-time business partner, political fixer, funder, confidant.
02:04The guy who hosted Zelensky's birthday parties.
02:07The guy who moved from producing shows to producing military drones and long-range missiles.
02:13A loyal friend who, if Nabu is right, also became a loyal collector of kickbacks.
02:20So what did investigators find?
02:22Stacks of cash.
02:24Fresh, crisp, factory new.
02:271.6 million dollars packed into bags like your weekly grocery shopping.
02:32A golden toilet bowl.
02:34Because in Ukraine, elite corruption always comes with a side of black humor, if you know what I'm saying.
02:40And more than 1,000 hours of wiretapped conversations filled with laughter, profanity and discussions about which government official gets placed where and how to split wartime contracts.
02:53Think about that.
02:55Ukrainians are freezing in the dark.
02:57And politicians are allegedly discussing which offshore account the next payout goes into.
03:03And here's the part Washington doesn't want to talk about.
03:07This scandal blew up just months after Zelensky tried and failed to take control of Nabu and Sapo.
03:15He tried to strip them of independence.
03:18He tried to fold them under his loyal prosecutor general.
03:22He claimed Russian infiltration produced zero proof.
03:26But the timing, right?
03:28The timing.
03:29Now it looks like he might have been trying to shut down the very investigation that's eating his presidency alive.
03:37Even loyal Ukrainians couldn't take it anymore.
03:40You saw it, right?
03:40The largest anti-government protests since the war began.
03:44So, Western sponsors stepped in, EU officials publicly scolded Zelensky and the Ukrainian streets boiled over.
03:55Now, Zelensky backed down.
03:57But Nabu didn't forget.
03:59Fast forward to today.
04:01Operation Midas, they called it.
04:03And yes, everything it touched turned into political gold for everyone except Zelensky.
04:10Two ministers have resigned.
04:14Five people have been arrested.
04:16Mindich is on the run, allegedly hiding in Israel.
04:20And Nabu hints very carefully that some recordings may feature very high-ranking voices.
04:27We all know which voice they're talking about.
04:30And what about voices in the US?
04:33The biggest backers of Ukraine's war effort?
04:36Rand Paul is out here saying,
04:37Trump silent on 100 million dollar Ukraine corruption scandal.
04:41And that silence is now part of this story.
04:45Because Trump, despite calling Zelensky the greatest salesman on earth, isn't commenting now.
04:51And the EU?
04:52The EU is furious.
04:54Demanding external oversight of Ukraine's entire government.
04:58Because that's always been the deal.
05:01Money for control.
05:02Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz says,
05:05Zelensky must press forward with reforms.
05:08EU Chief Kaya Kalas calls the scandal extremely unfortunate.
05:12Allow me to translate that for you.
05:15We knew corruption existed.
05:16We didn't know it was this big, this sloppy, and this close to the President.
05:22And do you know what the most fascinating part is?
05:24A silent, slow, but powerful anti-Zelensky coalition is forming inside Ukraine.
05:32Western-backed NGOs, opposition parties, anti-corruption agencies, foreign advisors,
05:37even elements inside Zelensky's own government.
05:40And what's their goal?
05:42Not to replace him with another comedian president,
05:45but to create a national unity government.
05:48A polite phrase for sidelining the president,
05:52while keeping the optics clean for the West.
05:55And the worst part?
05:57For Zelensky and for Ukraine, winter is coming.
06:01Energy infrastructure is Ukraine's weak point.
06:04And now there's a giant corruption scandal centered around the very system
06:08that keeps the country alive during winter.
06:11In Irgavatam.
06:13Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up.
06:15Remember when Zelensky once played a heroic teacher cleaning up corruption?
06:20Six years later, his real-life presidency looks like a tragic sequel.
06:25Same oligarchs, same schemes, just way more cash.
06:30And now there's the question no one wanted to ask, but everyone already is.
06:35How long can Zelensky hang on?
06:37How long before Western media,
06:39The Spectator, The New York Times, Politico, The Wall Street Journal
06:43Stop protecting Zelensky and start writing the obituaries of his political career?
06:49How long before the next wiretap drops?
06:52The next arrest?
06:53The next resignation?
06:55How long till the American establishment finally weighs it up
06:59and decides the cost of supporting Zelensky is getting too high?
07:03And one last thing.
07:05That golden toilet.
07:07The same symbol that brought down Yanukovych in 2014.
07:11It's back.
07:12Ukraine's revolution against corruption has looped right back to where it started.
07:17So here's my closing question.
07:20And give me some real answers in the comment.
07:23Should the US suspend all Ukraine aid until this case is fully investigated?
07:28And should Zelensky be made to testify publicly?
07:31Tell me below.
07:34And subscribe if you want the next chapter.
07:37Because you and I both know there's definitely going to be a next chapter.
07:41Naboo's teaser wasn't for us.
07:43It was for someone sitting in a presidential office,
07:47staring at a phone,
07:48wondering which recording drops next.
07:51And when it does,
07:53you'll hear it here first.
08:01Bye.
08:17Transcription by ESO. Translation by —
08:18Translation by —
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