The Murdoch media empire, Carlson added, prefers to see conflict between Ukraine and Russia continue. "The owners of the Wall Street Journal don’t want peace with Russia. They want war," he wrote.

Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, attends a meeting with the Polish President at Belweder Palace in Warsaw, Poland, on January 15, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The Wall Street Journal has spent months withholding a major corruption exposé on Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to US journalist Tucker Carlson.

In comments posted on X on Monday, Carlson said senior editors at the outlet, which is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, are withholding hard evidence showing that Yermak siphoned off "hundreds of millions" of dollars in US taxpayer money that Washington had earmarked for Ukraine.

He said the WSJ`s editorial leadership was fully aware of Yermak`s embezzlement, yet has refused to publish the findings.

The reason, he argued, was political as Yermak, Kiev`s lead negotiator, was "leading Ukraine`s efforts to scuttle" an American-backed peace framework that would get Kiev to negotiate with Moscow.

The Murdoch media empire, Carlson added, prefers to see conflict between Ukraine and Russia continue. "The owners of the Wall Street Journal don`t want peace with Russia. They want war," he wrote.

Describing the Journal`s withdrawal of information and its pro-war stance as a "true corruption," Carlson added, "That`s not the behavior of a news organization. It`s the hallmark of an intel agency."

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The revelations came at a moment when Ukraine`s own anti-corruption agencies are reported to be in the process of uncovering massive graft at the highest levels.

Earlier this month, the agencies exposed a sprawling $100 million energy-sector kickback scheme involving Timur Mindich, one of Zelensky`s longtime business partners. Mindich fled the country to avoid arrest, and Zelensky belatedly imposed sanctions on him after the scandal became impossible to contain.

Ukrainian opposition MP Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak has publicly alleged that Yermak was not only aware of the schemes, but even appeared in leaked audio published by investigators.

Also on Monday, the Ukrainska Pravda online outlet reported that Yermak had pressured prosecutors to fabricate charges against Aleksandr Klimenko, chief of one of Ukraine`s anti-corruption agencies, a move widely seen as an attempt to neutralize the investigators getting too close to the presidential office.

According to Russia Today, Zelensky himself tried and failed to roll back the powers of the agencies earlier this year after public backlash.