How I helped Trump and Giuliani undercut Ukraine

THE OTHER DAY I WATCHED SOME STREET INTERVIEWS in Moscow. The first person said the Russian invasion of Ukraine was justified because Ukrainian government officials were Nazis.

- LEV PARNAS

The second said the invasion was necessary because Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is a Jew and, as such, is stealing everything. Later, I watched Donald Trump give a campaign speech praising Russian President Vladimir Putin and calling the U.S. intelligence community “lowlifes.” Meanwhile, the people of Ukraine are dying by the tens of thousands.

If that makes you feel bad, you may be able to imagine how I feel: I was used by Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in ways that helped pave the way for Putin to invade Ukraine, my native land. If Trump and Giuliani’s plans had worked, the Ukrainians might not have had the weapons, medical equipment, and other supplies they needed to fight back.

In 2021 and 2022, I was convicted of several serious crimes including fraud, making false statements, and illegally funneling foreign money to the Trump campaign. I was sentenced to 20 months in prison, served four, and am on home confinement for the remainder. Now that I am paying my debt to society, it is important to tell my side of the story.