By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared his income over 2021 and 2022, a period which also coincides with the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.
A statement published by the Ukrainian presidency on Sunday said that Zelenskyy and his family’s income for 2021 amounted to approximately 10.8 million Ukrainian hryvnia ($284,660).
This income mainly consisted of salaries, bank interest, and income from renting out real estate.
His income decreased by 11.9 million Ukrainian hryvnia ($313,653) compared to 2020.
“Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to own a number of trademarks. In particular, in 2021, the process of registering 22 trademarks, which began long before his election as President of Ukraine, was completed,” the statement further said.
For 2022, Zelenskyy and his family’s income was 3.6 million Ukrainian hryvnia ($94,886), which decreased because of “the temporary termination of lease agreements on the territory of Ukraine” due to the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.
The statement went on to say that the cash balance of Zelenskyy's family at the end of 2022 decreased by almost 1.8 million Ukrainian hryvnia ($47,443).
"There were no other changes in 2021 and 2022 regarding assets, real estate, vehicles, etc.,” it concluded.
Ukraine's National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) published Zelenskyy's income and assets on its website.
The move comes as Kyiv hopes to advance its application to join the 27-member European Union, which began membership talks with Ukraine last month. A crackdown on corruption is critical for Ukraine to advance its application.
Critics say Ukraine has long suffered from widespread corruption, but Russia's “special military operation” is said to have overshadowed the government's efforts to stamp out graft.