8 Corruption in Ukraine?
Know about corruption? Learn how Russian mafia wants to turn ukraine corrupt … against the will of the Ukrainians
Ukraine is a corrupt country1 
While Russia prefers a corrupt Ukraine, the Ukrainian people want to get rid of corruption and Ukraine is now a much less corrupt country than Russia
The image of Ukraine as a big country in Europe but with a permanent crisis, corruption problems, and political instability is very common. However, this overlooks major reforms Ukraine has gone through.
8.1 Independence
The Ukrainian people’s decision for independence 1991, see Chapter 15, was also a vote against corruption and in favor of the European Union.
8.2 Orange revolution
The Orange Revolution 2004/2005 was also a vote against corruption and in favor of the European Union.
8.3 Euromaidan
The Euromaidan 2013/2014 was also a vote against corruption and in favor of the European Union.
8.4 Anti-corruption during war
Ukraine has substantially reduced corruption in spite of the war that Russia started in 2014 and escalated in 2022.
When Viktor Yanukovuch fled from Ukraine in 2014 only approximately $11,0002 were left in the treasury. This was a great challenge for the newly established government but didn’t stop reforms.
The National Anti-Corruption Directorate3 and the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption started their work in 2015, and the High Anti-Corruption Court in 2020. They are entrusted with uncovering, prosecuting, and sentencing high-ranking political corruption. Newly created organizations were given extensive powers and resources and protected by external political pressure.
In society, alongside investigative authorities, transparency initiatives that are nearly unparalleled in Europe have emerged. A prime example is ProZorro4, the central e-procurement system developed by the public. Furthermore, the mandate for civil servants and their close kin to submit electronic declarations of property has established a level of transparency in Europe that’s quite rare, allowing civil society and investigative agencies to scrutinize declared assets.
These reforms and the commitment to combating corruption have laid essential foundations for EU accession prospects.
Despite the war, the OECD recognised the implementation of Ukraine’s anti-corruption policy as “high”5 in March 2024, and this is producing results: per the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by Transparency International6, Ukraine has seen a gradual yet consistent improvement in its standing on the international stage over recent years, aligning it with other EU aspirants like Serbia, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina7.
You can learn more about Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts in Sydorenko, Horbenko, and Rudenko (2023)
Nico Lange (2024) Aber die NATO! 10 populäre Mythen über Putins Krieg gegen die Ukraine, Kapitel 7. Münchener Sicherheitskonferenz, Zeitenwende on tour. https://securityconference.org/assets/user_upload/MSC_Aber_die_NATO_10_Mythen.pdf#page=28↩︎
Після втечі Януковича в скарбниці залишалося 108 тисяч 133 гривні 65 копійок [After Yanukovych’s flight, the treasury had 108,133.65 hryvnia left]. (2017, March 11). LB.ua. Retrieved May 2, 2024, from https://lb.ua/news/2017/03/11/360928_posle_begstva_yanukovicha_kazne.html↩︎
National Anticorruption Directorate. (n.d.). NABU Official Website. Retrieved May 2, 2024, from https://nabu.gov.ua/en/tags/national-anticorruption-directorate/↩︎
Electronic procurement system. https://prozorro.gov.ua/uk↩︎
Review of Anti-Corruption Reforms in Ukraine under the Fifth Round of Monitoring. (n.d.). https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/governance/review-of-anti-corruption-reforms-in-ukraine-under-the-fifth-round-of-monitoring_9e03ebb6-en↩︎
2022 Corruption Perceptions Index. (n.d.). Transparency International. Retrieved May 2, 2024, from https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022/index/ukr↩︎
Mattia Nelles, 2023. Die Ukraine ist ein korruptes Land In: N. Pryhornytska, K. Pavlova, ed. Ukraine im Fokus. Propaganda erkennen, Fakten verstehen. Berlin: CRISP, pp. 53-59.↩︎