![]() These deficiencies are not indictments of the Ukrainian cause or sanctions. This is one of the main differences between the Ukrainian and Western sanctions regimes that awaits harmonization. If Ukraine wrongly sanctions domestic or foreign companies, it must provide for a clear and legitimate appeal process, observing the rule of law. Sanctions enforcement should be protected from corruption and state capture. Greece recently protested Ukrainian sanctions against its companies, which are “accused as International War Sponsors even though they are not violating the restrictive measures against Russia” Several large Ukrainian companies are claiming that sanctions against them or their owners are baseless and demand judicial review or proper investigation. Ukraine’s partners in Washington, Brussels and other capitals are unsure about how to treat the growing choir of companies in Ukraine or elsewhere claiming that they were unjustly sanctioned by Kyiv. Whereas Western sanctions tend to be based on transparent criteria, Ukraine’s sanction regime is opaque, and judicial review is unavailable. Yet despite heavy sanctions against Russia, they are not fully coordinated between Kyiv and Western capitals. Ukraine leads the global effort by its own example and the valuable research done by the bilateral Yermak-McFaul International Expert Group. assistance to Ukraine.Īs the sanctions against Russia are a cornerstone of economic warfare to impair Russia’s ability to wage war, it is important now to ensure that sanctions are impactful and completely free of corruption and vested interests. government has established a task force to eliminate corruption in U.S. Ukraine’s reconstruction will require hundreds of billions of dollars and is impossible without good governance. Corruption is the enemy of effective governance. Zelensky’s anti-corruption campaign is, therefore, not just vital for Ukraine’s wartime national security but necessary for Ukraine’s democratization and sovereign future. Lampooning corruption propelled Zelensky to popularity, first in his hit television show, and then as president when life imitated art. Fighting corruption animated Ukrainian political life and subsequent government and military reforms. The flagrant corruption of former Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his pro-Russian regime was an impetus for the 2014 Maidan Revolution, also known as the “Revolution of Dignity,” which shifted Ukraine towards the West. Unlike Russia, Ukraine does not have an easy task in tackling its corruption, especially in its energy sector and heavy industries, where Russia previously used its fossil fuel riches to weaponize corruption, keeping Ukraine within its sphere of influence. Shoigu’s predecessor Anatoly Serdyukov was prosecuted for embezzlement and his mistress, with the rank of a two-star general, was arrested with millions of dollars in cash and diamonds. ![]() Examples include Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s sprawling mansion, entirely fabricated military contracts and frequently stolen military supplies. Only time and thorough investigative and judicial work will resolve these issues.Ĭorruption also explains much of Russia’s embarrassing performance in the war to date. ![]() Nevertheless, despite high-profile firings, Ukraine’s corruption still plagues its military procurement and military logistics. and the European Union, Ukraine’s strategic partners, demand cleaner government, for good reasons. Indeed, Zelensky is now requesting Parliament to equate corruption with high treason for the duration of the war, making it a capital crime. Many of these measures came about because the U.S. When several high-ranking judges on Ukraine’s Supreme Court were arrested for corruption, questions centered on appointments, not just what the judges had done. Zelensky has also dismissed and authorized law enforcement to pursue former members of his own Cabinet, deputy ministers of defense and other senior officials for corruption or ineptitude. When the Ukrainian chief of military mobilization, Yevhen Borisov, was recently arrested for taking bribes, discussion understandably shifted to discussions about front-line impacts. Reforms have accelerated over the last year, anticorruption bodies have gained powers they had never had before and corruption-related arrests of state officials have become part of everyday life. Nobody despairs more about the issue now than President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, because Kyiv must uproot corruption if it is to survive.
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