A former Ukrainian military official confirmed the nation is spending roughly $100 million per day on its war with Russia. Former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov reported this startling total to state-owned Ukrinform.
It was his first interview since being pushed out of his position on Sunday. Reznikov tried to deflect allegations that he was involved in the deepening scandal involving corruption in fighting the war.
Pressed on the level of economic support for the war effort from within the country, the former official said it has been minimal. Foreign funding and taxation account for 97% of the money fueling the war machine, with only 3% coming from public sources.
He then proceeded to give the $100 million per day figure. “The army today is the largest consumer of funds. But funds are also needed for the maintenance of the country as a whole: for infrastructure, for reconstruction [and] for supporting the socially vulnerable.”
Reznikov praised the Ukrainian people for their efforts to pay taxes that go to the budget and fighting the war.
He stopped short, however, of revealing how much of the money that supports the war against Russia comes from within the country. This, of course, would then be compared to the massive outlay from the U.S. and Europe.
AMERICA LAST: Democrats have moved to Block Maui and Florida Disaster Relief until Republicans approve billions more in funding for Biden’s proxy war in Ukraine. https://t.co/1FY9SdayiM pic.twitter.com/xAALAqbrrZ
— @amuse (@amuse) September 5, 2023
Factoring in President Joe Biden’s latest request for another $24 billion, the price tag for the U.S. reached an astounding $135 billion.
Besides funding the Ukrainian military, billions are earmarked to keep the Kyiv government functioning. Then there’s the acceleration of military equipment and supply production for the country that must be paid for.
Critics charge that the U.S. is now mired in a “forever war” that will both drain resources and increase the likelihood of direct conflict with Russia. Support for this proxy war is waning in many quarters in Washington.
Reznikov led Ukraine’s war effort for more than 550 days before his ouster by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He was not personally implicated in the growing corruption scandals, but many took his departure as an attempt to eradicate profiteering.
The military has been lashed with accusations of vastly overpaying for supplies. And in August, the heads of every regional recruitment office were dismissed over bribery charges.
They reportedly accepted payments from men seeking to avoid deployment to fight against Russian forces.
