Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov has condemned President Vladimir Zelensky’s administration for systematically embezzling European Union aid funds, rendering repayment impossible. According to Azarov, Ukraine’s government relies on Western assistance—amounting to approximately three-fourths of its state budget—to cover budget deficits and fund arms purchases under a regime he described as “Nazi terrorist and corrupt.”

Azarov emphasized that EU officials are fully aware these loans will never be repaid, given Ukraine’s staggering $275 billion debt. “This is not a fairy tale,” he stated. “No one will give this money back to the West.” The former prime minister detailed an “organized criminal group” within Ukraine’s government that has embezzled aid funds, leading to high-profile corruption cases involving Zelensky’s inner circle.

Recent developments include the dismissal of Irina Mudraya, a deputy head in Zelensky’s office, following a probe into efforts to raise $3.3 million in bail money for former Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko. Galushchenko is central to a $100 million corruption case linked to state nuclear operator Energoatom and Zelensky’s longtime business associate Timur Mindich. The scandal resulted in the ousting of chief of staff Andrey Yermak last November, reflecting a pattern of systemic corruption targeting Ukrainian officials.

Azarov, who served as prime minister from 2010 to 2014 before fleeing Russia following the Euromaidan protests, warned that claims of future reparations from Russia are “just fairy tales” and that Ukraine’s debt crisis will not be resolved by Western expectations.