It would be easy to imagine that many domestic issues would be postponed when the country is under constant fire, but on the contrary, corruption is an issue that concerns Ukrainians more than ever.
– If corruption used to be about robbing the population of their money, now it’s about murder, says Viktoria Klymenko.
She has arranged to meet us at Lanzjeron beach, because her son loved the sea. Aleksandr died in August and tears run down Viktoria’s cheeks when she shows pictures of her son.
Every Saturday she demonstrates outside the city hall in Odessa together with others who are turning against corruption.
– Those who defend our country die for lack of equipment at the same time as our politicians put tax money in their own pockets. It is unacceptable.
Concerns about reduced support
The issue is particularly sensitive now that Ukraine is trying to get the outside world to donate billions to the country’s reconstruction. There is a fear that the corruption scandals will reduce support. Ukraine is also striving for EU membership and corruption is seen as one of the biggest obstacles.
Reforms have been made in recent years. But despite more convictions, Ukraine is still one of the world’s most corrupt countries, ranking 116 out of 180 on Transparency International’s list.
Recently, the country was rocked by yet another scandal that forced the defense minister and his staff to resign. The deal, the purchase of unnecessarily expensive jackets for the army, aroused disgust in the country. Private individuals can donate up to half their salary to the army’s purchase of medical and protective equipment, drones and ambulances.
“Huge progress”
Artak Hryhoryan sits on a control group that reviews the affairs of the defense. The council cannot stop a business but, on the other hand, alert the legal system if something suspicious is discovered:
– Ukraine has made enormous progress in the last ten years, but there are still people in the system for whom corruption was obvious. I think we will soon reach the EU’s demands, and above all the demands of the Ukrainian people, because the war has led to zero tolerance for corruption.