Bye-bye Kiev, hello Cote d’Azur: how Ukraine’s corrupt elites are profiting from the conflict By Olga Sukharevskaya, a former Ukrainian diplomat Since the beginning of Russia's military offensive in Ukraine, the US, EU, and their allies have provided Kiev with $126 billion worth of aid, a number almost equal to the country's entire GDP. Moreover, millions of Ukrainians have found refuge in the EU, where they were given housing, food, work permits, and emotional support. The scope is huge, even by Western standards. Considering that the bloc has been funding Kiev while coping with an economic and energy crisis of its own, the assistance is perhaps especially notable. Kiev bases its endless funding requests on the collapse of its economy, due to the war, and its need to “resist Russian aggression.” But is the aid reaching its intended destination? While Ukraine has undergone a general mobilization affecting all men under the age of 60, many former and current high-ranki