As the Ukrainian conflict persists in the country’s east, another battle is being fought on the home front in Kyiv: the battle against corruption.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently dismissed Oleksii Reznikov as defense minister, and numerous court cases have been filed against various officials from the defense ministry. Additionally, one of Ukraine’s most notorious oligarchs, Igor Kolomoisky, has been arrested on suspicion of fraud and money laundering and is currently in pre-trial detention.
While the full-scale conflict in Ukraine surpasses the 18-month mark, reports of a resurgence in familiar corrupt practices and old ways of doing business have become increasingly common in Ukrainian media. This is facilitated by high cash flow.
Over the past year and a half, millions of Ukrainians have engaged in crowdfunding efforts to raise funds for financial and logistical support for frontline soldiers. Simultaneously, there has been a significant influx of money and supplies from abroad, providing opportunities for less scrupulous officials to seek profits. They are not afraid to appropriate part of the incoming funds for themselves.
Some in Ukraine are concerned that these highly publicized corruption scandals may jeopardize the flow of foreign supplies, as Western governments may question the wisdom of providing aid if part of it ends up in the hands of corrupt officials.
“Many countries are sending substantial resources to Ukraine, and rightly so. However, governments and their populations may soon lose patience if there are no signs that the government is genuinely committed to fighting corruption,” stated a Western diplomat in Kyiv.
Anti-corruption activists assert that there is much work to be done but consider the recent scandals to be a positive rather than a negative sign.
“It’s essential for people outside Ukraine to understand that the fact that we can have public corruption scandals in Ukraine, even within the defense ministry during a full-scale war, is a positive indicator of a healthy, democratic society,” said Kaleniuk, a Ukrainian civil society activist who is the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center.
