According to Transparency International’s most recent corruption index from 2021, Ukraine does not look much better than Russia when it comes to corruption: Ukraine ranked 122nd out of 180 in the statistics. Russia, together with Liberia and Mali, ranked 136th. For comparison : Austria was 13th, Germany 10th.
It is therefore feared again and again that aid money from the West could seep away down opaque channels. Many Ukrainians believe that the country’s leadership enriches itself in the course of humanitarian aid through financial aid.
Selenskyj wants to focus on transparency
Following the recent corruption scandals in Kyiv, Zelenskyi announced more decisive action against misconduct in the state apparatus. “Society will get all the information, and the state will take the necessary powerful steps,” said Zelenskyy on Sunday in his evening video message distributed in Kyiv.
Among other things, he informed that the detained Deputy Minister for Municipal, Territory and Infrastructure Development Vasyl Lozynskyi had been released. According to the media, Losynskyj is said to have received a bribe of $400,000 (around €370,000) for the purchase of generators to deal with the country’s energy crisis.
Secretary of Defense has to justify himself
With his video message, Zelenskyj also reacted to media reports about the overpriced purchase of food for soldiers. Prices are said to have been paid three times higher than retail prices. Here, too, civil servants are said to have enriched themselves.
According to official information, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov is to be heard in front of the parliament in Kyiv. In addition, the Court of Auditors should take a close look at the Ministry of Defence. According to the news website Zn.ua, the contract in question is worth the equivalent of 325 million euros. According to the media, the contract should not deal with feeding the soldiers at the front, but in the rear.
Ministry rejects allegations of corruption
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense had previously denied allegations of corruption in connection with the procurement of food for the military. The rations for the soldiers were purchased in accordance with “the procedure established by law,” the ministry said. Media reports to the contrary are “wrong”. An investigation will be launched into the dissemination of this “misleading” information, which harms Ukraine’s “defense interests”.
In the summer of 2022, Zelenskyy had to reprimand the military leadership after fierce criticism of reporting requirements for conscripts. He asked “the General Staff not to make such decisions without me,” Zelenskyj said at the time. In the summer, following the dismissal of the head of the secret service and other executives, the Ukrainian government had to push ahead with the realignment of the agency. Even shortly after the beginning of the war, Selenskyj had to dismiss generals. It was said that they were traitors.
Decisions are expected to be announced next week
Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that decisions will be taken this week, but not yet published, to further combat corruption and enrichment in office. “I’m grateful to the journalists who deal with the facts and create the whole picture,” he said of the revelations.
Zelenskyi said that the main focus is on defending the country in the war against Russia. Nevertheless, he is aware that these cases are also being discussed in society. Action must be taken for the sake of justice.
“Two Wars”
However, according to the Ukrainian public prosecutor’s office, the government in Kyiv pushed ahead with its anti-corruption efforts even during the war against Russia. The responsible public prosecutor’s office reported to the Reuters news agency in December that there were at least 109 charges in 42 cases and 25 convictions.
A senior member of the relevant parliamentary committee, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, spoke of two wars that his country was waging simultaneously: one against Russia, the other against corruption, which has its roots in the post-Soviet era.
Central condition for EU accession
Authorities pointed out the urgent need to convince potential Western financiers that billions in investments for reconstruction would not seep down the dark channels. Efforts are also seen as a key condition for the long-term goal of EU membership.
Ukraine was granted candidate status in June amid the Russian invasion. According to a poll conducted in early November, at least 88 percent of Ukrainians expect their country to be a prosperous member of the EU in ten years.
Disputes with Klitschko
Despite the war, the next presidential election will also have a political impact. It was not until November that a dispute with Kiev Mayor Klitschko was over. However, the disputes between Klitschko and Selenskyj are much older: Even as a comedian, Selenskyj preferred to target Klitschko and his rhetorical weaknesses, as the “Standard” writes.
In the 2019 presidential election campaign, Zelenskyy finally prevailed against incumbent Petro Poroshenko – not to the delight of Klitschko, an ally of Poroshenko. Even then, Zelenskyy tried to replace the mayor of Kiev with his own henchman. According to observers, it is also about controlling the flow of money, according to the “Standard”.
Klitschko: Playing domestic politics when the war is over
Klitschko once again called for unity in his previously known conflict with Selenskyj in November. This conflict had ignited at the warm-up points in Kyiv. Selenskyj had criticized the Kiev city administration for allegedly not working warm-up points. Klitschko was not mentioned by name. Subsequently, deputies from the Presidential Servants of the People party controlled the functioning of these “points of indestructibility”.
“When the war is over, then you can play domestic politics,” Klitschko said in an interview with the RBK-Ukraine news agency. However, the unity of all is necessary for the Ukrainian victory. “No civil servant can appoint or dismiss an elected mayor.” Klitschko has ruled Kyiv since 2014. He is considered a possible opponent of Zelenskyy in the presidential elections expected in March 2024.
