Zelensky says senior officials named in drug ring tapes have no links to criminal network
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Khimprom drug ring has already made inroads into Poland and is trying to enter Germany. Ukraine has intelligence on this, Zelensky said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky declared on November 13th that senior officials referenced in Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency's recordings, part of a major criminal probe, had no connections to the alleged criminal network. He specifically mentioned Health Minister Viktor Liashko, former Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, and lawmaker David Arakhamia. These individuals did not appear on the tapes released by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
Zelensky questioned the anti-corruption officials directly about these figures, to which they replied, "No. Neither Liashko, nor Klymenko, nor Arakhamia has any ties to any contacts with these individuals." The National Anti-Corruption Bureau's released tapes revealed that the transnational drug syndicate, Khimprom, planned to bribe Klymenko, now Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, and Liashko to avoid their synthetic drugs being banned in Ukraine. However, the plan failed, and Klymenko was ultimately not implicated.
According to Ukrainian investigators, Khimprom was established by Yehor Burkin, a Russian-born fugitive identified as "Mexican" in the bureau's recordings. Burkin and Andrii Osipov, known as "Criminal," allegedly formed a network that protected scam call centers, sold synthetic drugs, and targeted those who sought to expose their illicit operations. Khimprom's scheme involved repeatedly altering the chemical composition of drugs to evade detection.
Osipov was arrested this summer in a separate case, and investigators gleaned crucial information about the Khimprom scheme from his confiscated mobile phone. Zelensky emphasized that Interior Minister Ivan Vyhovskyy and Security Service Chief Oleksandr Poklad are also not implicated, despite police officers and security service officials being linked to the Khimprom scheme.
Zelensky warned that Khimprom had infiltrated Poland and was attempting to penetrate Germany, and he expressed confidence that the organization was supported by intelligence services, not just those of Russia. He urged Ukraine's partners, particularly the United States, to assist in dismantling the network before it gained undue influence over European parliaments, including Ukraine's.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
