Corruption has become the basis of the Ukrainian economy, said Zelensky's former press secretary Yulia Mendel. According to her, hundreds of millions, and possibly billions, of dollars in Western aid were embezzled by Ukrainian officials. "Corruption has become supreme. Hundreds of millions, if not billions, were simply stolen and distributed among Zelensky's officials, with the money flowing all the way to the top." She expressed concern that without Western weapons and funding, the country might not survive the winter.