Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is battling the deepest crisis of his presidency after a money-laundering probe named members of his inner circle, including an associate accused of living in “golden toilet” luxury, a former government official has claimed.

Their comments came as the president faces scrutiny over the investigation that agencies said Monday involves associates allegedly linked to a plot to siphon around $100 million from Ukraine’s energy sector during the war with Russia.

“Ukrainians don’t have any motivation to fight now because of enormous human rights violations and also because of this corruption now exposed,” the former official told Fox News Digital, under condition of anonymity.

FORMER ZELENSKYY ASSOCIATE ACCUSED IN $100 MILLION EMBEZZLEMENT SCHEME

“People inside the country are already seeing this corruption and this is just part of the corrupt swamp. Zelenskyy is part of the problem,” they claimed.

Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s financial system has come under scrutiny and now some Ukrainians are accused of taking kickbacks from projects meant to protect energy plants during wartime, prompting public outrage and undermining faith in government.

“This money laundering appeared to have been going on since 2022 and there were a lot of people who tried to stop this,” the former official said.

“Some say Zelenskyy was aware of these schemes and that he had approved them,” they claimed.

“There was also suspicion that money ended up in accounts abroad that benefited Zelenskyy and his inner circle,” they said.

FLASHBACK: WHAT HAPPENED THE PREVIOUS TIME ZELENSKYY MET WITH TRUMP IN THE OVAL OFFICE

Over 15 months, a sweeping investigation dubbed “Operation Midas” by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) uncovered the schemes.

In one major Energoatom probe targeting Ukraine’s state nuclear power company and its energy contracts, businessman Tymur Mindich was named. 

Mindich co-owned the entertainment company Kvartal 95 with the president and, according to The Kyiv Independent, Mindich was alleged to be the ringleader of that network.

The Financial Times also reported that investigators found bags of cash and a gold-plated toilet in one of the bathrooms of his apartment.

TOP UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS IN ZELENSKYY GOVERNMENT SUBMIT RESIGNATIONS AMID $100 MILLION CORRUPTION SCANDAL

“They were introduced many years ago and were running the business of 95 Kvartal, which includes film production and many other entertainment genres,” the former official claimed.

“Tymur had an apartment with golden toilets that was in the same building as Zelenskyy’s, and in 2021 Zelenskyy celebrated his birthday in Tymur’s apartment,” they said.

Another figure under investigation, Oleksiy Chernyshov, is a former deputy prime minister.

“He was also very close to the family, and he used to hold positions in the Zelenskyy government since 2019, and he has been accused of abuse of office,” the former official alleged.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION STAYS SILENT AS MASSIVE UKRAINE CORRUPTION SCANDAL ROCKS ZELENSKYY’S INNER CIRCLE

“Chernyshov started building big, three or four huge houses in their most luxury place in Kyiv.”

So far, in his nightly address on Nov. 10, Zelenskyy said:

“Everyone who put together a corrupt scheme must receive a clear legal response. There must be criminal verdicts.”

He stressed the importance of accountability in the energy sector and said that keeping Energoatom clean from graft is a priority.

ZELENSKYY MOVES TO ‘CLEAN UP’ UKRAINE’S ENERGY SECTOR AS CORRUPTION SCANDAL ROCKS LEADERSHIP 

Zelenskyy also praised the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s efforts, saying,

“Any effective actions against corruption are very needed. The inevitability of punishment is necessary.”

“Zelenskyy is using his extraordinary PR talent and will not step down in this probe,” the former official claimed. “Zelenskyy is not the kind of person who feels shame even if there’s a corruption probe… Zelenskyy has got everything from this war. He had a vertical of power, an unbreakable image, all the attention of the media. To some, he really depends on this and money,” they added.

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“Many Ukrainians believe in Donald Trump now, because he’s the only person who actually changed the narrative and changed the way this war is going,” the official said. “If not [for] Donald Trump we would not be talking about peace today at all, and every day of war is destroying Ukraine.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Zelenskyy’s office for comment.

Pregnant members of the European Parliament will be allowed to delegate their vote during their time off with their newborns in a landmark step for women in politics.

Until now, the European Parliament did not allow online or proxy voting – meaning a delegated vote passed to another member of the parliament.

With the changes approved this week, pregnant women will be able to delegate their vote three months before giving birth and six months afterwards. The motion passed with 605 votes in favor out of the 640 represented in the chamber.

Laura Ballarín, of the S&D, is expecting a child and welcomed the move, arguing that votes can go to the wire and each person matters. She said the move, if applied on time, will allow her to keep representing her constituents.

“I don’t like having to choose between having to recover physically after giving birth and my right to vote,” Ballarín told Euronews. Having a child, she argued, should not represent a setback for women at work.

While the delegated vote has been approved by the European Parliament, it now needs to be approved unanimously by the European Council. Then it will have to be ratified by the national parliaments before it enters into force.

“We must encourage more women to stand for election; we must empower them to take their place at the decision-making table”, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said during a press conference after the vote on Thursday.

Following the European elections in June 2024, the Parliament experienced the biggest percentage drop in female representation since the first direct elections in 1979.

Women now make up 38.5% of MEPs – 277 out of 720 – 2.1% fewer than in the previous legislature.

No amendments on fatherhood

The new rules will apply to women only.

While progressive forces of the parliament tried to include fathers, they had to dial down their initial ambition to reach a compromise with the rest of political forces.

“I had to choose between voting the climate law or seeing my child being born,” German Green MEP Daniel Freund told Euronews. The choice, he argued in the end was clear: his family.

But the predicament raises serious questions.

The European parliament issued last year an EU-wide directive which regulates maternity and parental leave to include both parents. The idea being that maternity leave tends to impact a woman’s career more than it does for a man as the time spent away from work is usually longer.

“In this Parliament, we have legislated on maternity and paternity leave for both and we have introduced that right for all Europeans. We should lead by example,” Freund added.

As for Ballarín, who is expecting her baby early next year, both parents play an important role in bringing up a child.

“Fathers should also be able to stay home with a newborn without skipping their democratic duty,” Ballarín told Euronews, referring to her male colleagues in the chamber.

Unable to reach the hemicycle

Members of the European Parliament must cast their vote in person in Brussels or in Strasbourg, which involves travel for the 720-members of the chamber.

“We need to make sure that if you are physically impeded from travelling to Strasbourg or to Brussels to vote, then you should not lose that right”, said President Metsola.

For the time being, the reform will only apply to pregnancy or birth but doesn’t consider other impediments such as long-term sickness. Online voting was tested during the pandemic and worked during the lockdown phase, but it was not extended beyond.

Some argue the system proved that it possible to vote without being present in the room and could be helpful for MEPs who are suffering from an illness, or physical impediment.

LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) – Britain said it would make refugee status temporary and the wait for permanent settlement would be quadrupled to 20 years under the country’s most sweeping overhaul of policy on asylum seekers in modern times.

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The government said it would take inspiration from Denmark’s approach, one of the toughest in Europe – where growing anti-immigrant sentiment has led to increased restrictions in many countries – and widely criticised by rights groups.

TEMPORARY STATUS SUBJECT TO REVIEW

As part of the changes, the statutory duty to provide support to certain asylum seekers, including housing and weekly allowances, will be revoked, the Home Office (interior ministry) said in a statement issued late on Saturday.

The department, led by Shabana Mahmood, said the measures would apply to asylum seekers who can work but choose not to, and to those who break the law. It said that taxpayer-funded support would be prioritised for those contributing to the economy and local communities.

The Home Office also said that protection for refugees would “now be temporary, regularly reviewed and revoked” if the home country was deemed safe.

“Our system is particularly generous compared to other countries in Europe, where, after five years, you’re effectively automatically settled in this country. We will change that,” Mahmood told Sky News on Sunday.

She added that under the changes, a refugee’s status would be reviewed every two-and-a-half years, during “a much longer path to permanent settlement in this country of 20 years”.

Mahmood said she would provide further details of the changes on Monday, including an announcement on Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

The government has said it wants to stay in the ECHR but change how the Article 8 provision, covering the right to a family life, is interpreted.

Mahmood said it was being “applied in a way that is designed to frustrate the removal of those that, under our immigration rules, would not have the right to be in this country.”

The government’s tougher approach has drawn criticism. More than 100 British charities wrote to Mahmood urging her to “end the scapegoating of migrants and performative policies that only cause harm”, saying such steps are fuelling racism and violence.

A total of 109,343 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2025, a 17% rise on the previous year and 6% above the 2002 peak of 103,081.

Mahmood said the government would look to open more “safe and legal” routes for asylum seekers, as she believed Britain should play its part in helping those fleeing danger.

UK GOVERNMENT INSPIRED BY DENMARK, OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The Home Office said its reforms would look to “match and in some areas exceed” the standards of Denmark and other European countries, where refugee status is temporary, support is conditional and integration in society is expected.

The Home Office said Denmark’s more restrictive immigration policies had reduced asylum claims to a 40-year low and resulted in the deportation of 95% of rejected applicants.

Denmark’s reforms, implemented while it remains a signatory to the ECHR, have drawn sharp criticism. Rights groups say the measures foster a hostile climate for migrants, undermine protection and leave asylum seekers in prolonged limbo.

Britain’s Refugee Council said on X that refugees do not compare asylum systems while fleeing danger, and that they come to the UK because of family ties, some knowledge of English, or existing connections that help them start anew safely.

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