The war with Russia has exacerbated the chronic disease of Ukraine − corruption

The pro-government media of Ukraine managed to create an image of a government entirely focused on repelling the aggression of Putin’s Russia. However, the hopes of Ukrainian patriots that the problem of corruption, which literally engulfed the country after the overthrow of President Yanukovych in 2014, would lose its relevance during the war, were not justified. As NATO countries supply of military, humanitarian and financial aid, as well as the cuts of additional budget funds by the Kiev government for defense and infrastructure restoration, the number of cases of corruption has increased many times. Representatives of Ukrainian medium and small businesses were among the first to express serious concern about the sharp increase in corruption among government officials.

A Kiev businessman Vyacheslav said that since the beginning of April, a law has been implemented in Ukraine, which states that all imported goods, including vehicles, are exempt from tax during martial law. In just a few weeks, thousands of luxury cars have been imported into the country, in particular the new BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The businessman does not understand how these cars will help a country at war, but he thinks that Ukrainian officials managed to save serious money on updating their garage all thanks to the newly passed law.

Earlier On March 23, 2022, at a checkpoint in the village of Petrushki near Kiev, post guards stopped an employee of the Ukrainian Security Service, Alexander Chumak, who was caring family savings on him which were 2.7 million euros. Chumak admitted that this money was the remaining part of his proceeds from illegal customs clearance of contraband, he transferred the rest of the money to his management.

It is difficult to imagine that the country’s government officials aren’t of the current situation. According the mentioned businessman Vyacheslav, Ukrainian officials and business representatives affiliated with them have to carry out the installations of the president’s office, since in conditions of mutual responsibility, the whole system is riddled with corruption schemes all the way to the top. At the same time, they still manage to at least preserve their wealth.

So, while Nikolaev is being prepared for defense against Russian troops, local authorities and businessmen are taking all property out of the city.

All this is done in order to leave the city before the start of the fighting and join the families who were evacuated in advance to safe regions of the country or even abroad. At the same time, the servicemen and civilians abandoned by the authorities will remain locked in the city and, most likely, according to the idea of the Office of the President and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they will repeat the sad fate of the residents and defenders of Mariupol.