One of the largest private western investors in Ukraine has claimed that corrupt officials in the country’s security services and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration are trying to extort tens of millions of euros from him.
Arnulf Damerau, an Anglo-German businessman and a former adviser to Glencore and Trafigura, told the Financial Times he was being blackmailed by a clique of senior Ukrainian officials.
Western governments have become increasingly concerned over government corruption in Ukraine but have largely held back from making their criticism public as they rally support for Kyiv to shore up its faltering defence against Russian aggression. The war has given space for many of the corrupt networks linked to former president Viktor Yanukovych to reassemble, European security officials say.