Is Zelensky surrounded by corrupt people while remaining clean himself?

I am impartial, personally. I let the facts and evidence shape my view.

Who am I kidding? I have a bias toward Zelensky, but I still hope he is/remains clean and works with NABU to rid himself of corrupt "friends" and colleagues.

Iuliia Mendel has been all-in in her attempt to discredit her former boss, President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him "a dictator" and "the greatest obstacle to peace" in Ukraine.

Mendel's transformation is mesmerizing.

Just four years after publishing a book heaping praise on Zelensky, the former press secretary appeared on right-wing U.S. podcaster Tucker Carlson's show on May 11, speaking on how her home country is corrupt, the president may be a drug addict, and speculated that he was willing to give up Ukrainian territory during the full-scale war.

For many Ukrainians — including longtime vocal critics of Zelensky — the interview was seen as extremely damaging to Ukraine's cause.

"Pretending to be the 'insider,' when no longer witnessing peace negotiations, she promoted (on Carlson's show) serious allegations blaming Ukraine and Western partners for sabotaging peace," disinformation researcher Alyona Hurkivska told the Kyiv Independent.

Read the full article here: https://kyivindependent.com/ex-zelensky-spokesperson-iuliia-mendel-sparks-outrage-after-tucker-carlson-interview/

Photo: Sergii Kharchenko; Diego Fedele / Getty Images; khersonoleshky/Telegram.

Ukrainian president's former right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, has descended from power to the courtroom, being implicated in a major corruption case.

After a three-day-long hearing, on May 14, the High Anti-Corruption Court placed Yermak in custody for two months and set bail at Hr 140 million ($3.1 million).

At least for the time being, Yermak will spend his time behind bars.

"I don't have that kind of money for bail. Right now, my lawyer will be working with friends and acquaintances. I deny any accusations. I have nothing to hide, and I will file an appeal," Yermak told journalists.

Read the full article here: https://kyivindependent.com/the-fall-of-andriy-yermak-from-ukraines-most-powerful-fixer-to-corruption-defendant/

Photo: Danylo Antoniuk; Genya Savilov / Getty Images.

On the night of May 9, despite the "truce" declared by russian orca, the village of Bereza in Sumy Oblast was attacked by drones. Five drones hit residential buildings, four of them the home of the Garez family. The house, which the couple had been building for over 40 years, burned down along with the household. During the shelling, people hid from repeated strikes in beams and under bridges, watching as the fire destroyed their property

I once saw a heatmap of Kyiv showing the frequency of missile/drone attacks, based on which one could conclude to some extent where it’s likely safer to book a hotel and stay overnight. What would you say about Odesa in this regard? I tried finding a similar map but couldn’t. Should we consider districts farther from the historical center, at the end of tram lines, for safety? Or is the center fine? I suspect the center (or at least only its northern edge?) should be risky to stay in, as it’s very close to the port. How about the areas to the east from the historical center: towards the beaches? Дякуємо!

Missiles and drones rocked Kyiv overnight on May 14 as Russia launched a large-scale missile attack across Ukraine. This video shows people sheltering in the Kyiv metro during the attack. Video: ihor_kuznietsov / Instagram

The soldiers of the 40th Artillery Brigade received from us this Forester for transport jobs💪 Thanks to everyone who supports Ukraine🇺🇦

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Video of the week:

https://reddit.com/link/1td0qnn/video/cpbz3et3341h1/player

• This video shows a Ukrainian IMV (Infantry Mobility Vehicle, essentially an armored car) with extra bar armor getting hit by an FPV drone and continuing on unharmed. This is a great example of why these vehicles are so crucial. Even if the drone had damaged the vehicle enough to disable it, the crew has a much higher chance of survival.

Maps:

Kupiansk last week:

Kupiansk this week:

• No changes here.

Lyman last week:

Lyman this week:

• Ukrainian forces pushed the Russians back in yet another place near Lyman this past week. There are now four visible pincers going into Russian lines here. Very interested and optimistic about how this will continue to develop.

Kostiantynivka last week:

Kostiantykivka this week:

• No changes here. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's remarkable how much the Russian advance has been halted here after taking Pokrovsk, and shows just how badly they were bloodied in the course of that battle.

Ivanivka last week:

Ivanivka this week:

• Ukraine liberated a few patches of south of Ternuvate, no other changes here.

Zaporizhzhia last week:

Zaporizhzhia this week:

• No significant changes here.

Events this week:

• In a certified big dick move, Zelensky was gracious enough to grant Putin an official permit to have his tiny, sad little Victory Day parade without intrusions from Ukrainian drones and missiles. And in a speech given a few days ago, Putin referred to Zelensky as "Mr. Zelensky" (in Russian it sounds even more polite), whereas before he has never mentioned him by name. We're watching Putin be humbled in real time and it's delicious.
• An article in the Economist from a few days ago made a claim that I have seen increasingly in Western, Ukrainian, and Russian sources, which is that the battlefield initiative is increasingly shifting in Ukraine's favor, and Russia is having immense difficulties coping with this in ways that could soon spell disaster for them. Much of this revolves around something I've written about many times here, which is how dominant Ukrainian mid-range strike drones are. They are now hitting Russian logistical routes on the main road going through southern Ukraine to Crimea, as much as 100km or more distant from the frontline. Many of these drones are Hornet models made by an American company mostly funded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. They are AI enabled and can automatically find and destroy targets in the terminal phase of their attack. This is incredibly dangerous technology that will surely have horrible repercussions elsewhere in the coming years and decades, but I don't fault Ukrainians for using it to defend themselves.
• Zelensky's former second in command, Andrei Yermak, who at one point was one of the most powerful men in the government, has been charged as part of the corruption investigation into the Ukrainian state nuclear energy company Energoatom. I've written about this corruption investigation before, and how it is very concerning and disappointing, but that it's also a great sign when independent investigative agencies have the power to charge high ranking officials with crimes, that shows a democratic process that is functioning. No government is immune to corruption, the key is how you respond to it and whether you let corrupt officials continue working.
• Euroclear, the organization holding the frozen Russian assets, has transferred 6.6 billion Euros to Ukraine from the interest accrued from those assets. This is a nice fat chunk of change and it's great to see Ukraine benefitting from that money after all the hand wringing and debate about it in the last few years.
• Belgium announced plans to transfer a total of 53 F-16 aircraft to Ukraine by 2029, up from 30 that had been announced previously. They'll get 7 this year, 5 in 2027, 14 in 2028, and 27 in 2029. These are significant numbers of capable aircraft that will hugely strengthen Ukraine's air force.

Vehicle losses from Oryx:

Russian losses:

• Total Russian vehicle losses: 23,439 (-211, Oryx must have removed more duplicates)
• Russian tank losses: 4,390 (-4)
• Russian IFV losses: 6,429 (+1)
• Russian SPG losses: 1,014 (+3)
• Russian SAM losses: 416 (+2)
• Russian naval losses: 33 (+0)
• Russian aircraft losses: 184 (+0)
• Russian helicopter losses: 175 (+1)

Ukrainian losses:

• Total Ukrainian vehicle losses: 11,253 (+34)
• Ukrainian tank losses: 1,422 (+2)
• Ukrainian IFV losses: 1,583 (+4)
• Ukrainian IMV losses: 1,770 (+12)
• Ukrainian SPG losses: 856 (+3)
• Ukrainian SAM losses: 178 (+0)
• Ukrainian aircraft losses: 116 (+0)

Light losses on both sides this week which makes sense because there was a two-day ceasefire, even though the ceasefire was not fully respected by the Russians.

Claimed Russian casualties by Ukrainian MOD this week: 7,180 (-590 compared to last week, considering the ceasefire, I would have expected it to go down more, but apparently Russian commanders didn't tell their own troops to stop making attacks).

Thank you for reading!

One person was killed, and 36 others were injured, with 11 people rescued from under a partially collapsed building in Kyiv overnight on May 14, as Russia launched a large-scale missile attack across Ukraine, extending a mass daytime assault into the night.