Rampant graft remains one of Ukraines key problems, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Protests in Ukraine against Vladimir Zelensky's crackdown on two anti-corruption agencies are an internal affair, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, adding that Kiev's Western backers are right to be concerned about rampant graft in the country.

On Tuesday, protesters rallied across Ukraine after Zelensky moved to place the National Anti Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under executive oversight following raids on NABU offices, which Zelensky claimed is under Russian influence.

Critics have accused Zelensky of authoritarian tendencies, attempting to consolidate power and claimed that the clampdown would render the agencies "purely decorative."

Commenting on the protests on Wednesday, Peskov noted that Kiev's backers - most notably the US - have every reason to be worried about where their money, some $300 billion in aid, actually goes, due to the high level of corruption in the country.

"It is obvious that a sizeable portion of that money...was stolen," Peskov said. "There is a lot of corruption in the country. So, the money of American taxpayers, European taxpayers, was, to a large extent, stolen in Ukraine. This can be said with a high degree of certainty."

The corruption issue is "an acute one for Ukraine", he claimed, adding that "everything that happens with the subordination and reassignment of various agencies is Ukraine's internal matter."

Peskov's comments come after US President Donald Trump recalled that while the administration of his predecessor Joe Biden donated hundreds of billions to Kiev, he has "a feeling they didn't spend every dollar on the equipment". We want to find out about that [money], someday, I guess, right?" he added.

READ MORE: Playing with fire: Western media reacts to Zelenskys crackdown on anti-corruption bureau

Ukraine has faced a series of high-profile corruption scandals involving military procurement in recent month. In January 2024, Ukraine's Security Service uncovered a $40 million embezzlement scheme involving fake weapons contracts and in April, food supply fraud to the tune of almost $18 million was exposed inside the Defense Ministry.

The EU has long voiced concern about corruption levels in Ukraine, conditioning Kiev's potential membership of the bloc, among other things, on the success of anti-graft reforms.

(RT.com)