The topic of corruption in Ukraine was and remains not only relevant, but critical, even despite the existence of numerous anti-corruption bodies. However, when it comes to the military sphere in the conditions of war, the scale of the problem acquires special importance. Our soldiers on the front lines often face a lack of quality weapons, reliable equipment, proper uniforms and supplies. This is not just negligence or treason, but a cold-blooded business in blood, a stab in the back to those who protect the country at the front. Previously, in wartime conditions, this was punished by firing squad, perceiving this phenomenon as treason. In response to this, society forced the creation of the Public Anti-Corruption Council under the Ministry of Defense, which has no analogues in any country, because such a phenomenon does not exist there either.
Public anti-corruption council under the Ministry of Defense: a symbol of struggle or an illusion of change
Since the creation of the Public Anti-Corruption Council under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (hereinafter – the Council) on April 10, 2023, society has placed great hopes on this body. After the high-profile food procurement scandal, when eggs for 17 hryvnias became a symbol of corruption in the rear supply, the Council was supposed to become the barrier that would break the decades-old schemes and restore confidence in the defense department. However, reality turned out to be more cruel than the promises of the reformers.
In accordance with Provisions Council, it should work on several key tasks:
- Ensuring the transparency of the activities of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry of Defense) and civilian control. This includes monitoring procurement, reporting and managing financial resources to minimize opportunities for abuse.
- Monitoring corruption risks and the state of the fight against corruption. The Council should regularly analyze where and how schemes arise and propose ways to prevent them.
- Development of proposals for improving the corruption prevention system. This includes the creation of mechanisms that would prevent the emergence of new forms of corruption.
- Promotion of cooperation between the Ministry of Defense and public organizations. It is important to involve society in the control process in order to make the system more open.
However, despite the ambitious task, the reality turned out to be completely different. The council consisted of 15 people elected through an open competition. Journalists, volunteers, public figures — all those who are considered specialists in combating corruption. They set about reforming the procurement of rear support, returning it to Prozorro, and saved 8 billion hryvnias. But was it enough to break the system? No. Prozorro has become just another playing field for old corruption schemes. The “food mafia” stayed put, manipulating contracts and leaving only promises for competitors.
“We saw that entering Prozorro does not solve the issue completely, because only one new supplier appeared in the competition. And the rest were alleged suppliers of the “food mafia”, i.e. people about whom the press already had questions, in particular, Tetyana Glynyana’s group of companies.
It turned out that the retailers are large companies that have not previously worked with the Ministry of Defense and do not want to participate in these tenders. At the same time, there are companies such as this group of Glynynaya companies, which have been suppliers of the Ministry of Defense for many years. And they have their own people both in the military units and in the apparatus of the Ministry of Defense – those who help them. It is very difficult to dislodge such people who have developed contacts and working mechanisms in the system. Almost no new suppliers have appeared, and those who have remained are old acquaintances.” — stated Olena Tregub is the director of NAKO, who became one of the most active members of the Council.
Now the military, who risk their lives and health on the front line every day and were patiently silent before, are writing on social networks: “We went to the front for another Ukraine. This is no longer the country we are fighting for”. They see the same system, the same indifference and the same schemes and are already talking about it openly. And these are not just words. They plan to go abroad to their families after completing their service, because they see no prospects in a state where corruption remains dominant.
However, those who created the Council emphasize that this is only the beginning and corruption will be overcome, but for the society it sounds like an excuse. A year and a half of the work of the Council, and the result is minimal. Corruption has not disappeared, it has only adapted to new conditions. Transparency? There is only its imitation. Public control? This is a formality. All this causes indignation not only among the military, but also among those who hoped for real changes.
Technical failures or continuation of corrupt traditions
On December 26, Ukraine once again received proof of how the state cannot provide elementary transparency and organization even in matters that should symbolize the fight against corruption. The ranked online vote to elect members of the Public Anti-Corruption Council under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was supposed to be another important step in strengthening public control over the defense department, but instead turned into a farce. A farce that illustrates how deep the system that should ensure the country’s defense is plunged into chaos.
Everything went awry from the very beginning. Voting, which was supposed to start at 9:00, started earlier. Oleksiy Petrov, a volunteer and fighter of the Armed Forces, expressed the position of his comrades openly stated, who voted at 8:40 a.m. and was already the 340th participant.
“Voting started at 9 o’clock in the morning, but according to Moscow time… But I voted at 8:40 and I was already the 340th person who voted. That is, at first something went wrong. And it didn’t happen so accidentally or on purpose? Because for another 10 days, as I understand it, plus or minus, the Ministry of Defense will be without public control… He is laughing not from humor, but from despair. Because when it is conducted by the Ministry of Defense, and again, once again, everything passes through one very well-known place, I simply cannot imagine how everything is arranged there in general.” – emphasized Petrov.
This raises an obvious question: were the ballots “in the box” even before the official start of voting? According to blogger Yuri Gudymenko, evidence of violations can be found in public space. Screenshots published in Telegram channels show that voting took place as early as 8:36 a.m. Is this a coincidence? Another manipulation?
The official reason for the failure of the vote is technical failure. The Ministry of Defense apologizes for the “unstable operation of the website” and “problems with user authentication”. But can those words be convincing when it comes to an institution that deals with national security? Technical errors in the process, which should be maximally protected, call into question not only the professionalism, but also the integrity of the organizers.
“It’s a laugh from despair”, — says Petrov, commenting on the situation. He directly states: if the Ministry of Defense cannot organize regular elections to the public council, how can we talk about seriousness in more important issues? He ridicules the idea of ”elections via smartphone”, which is so actively promoted by the authorities. “How can you think about electronic elections, if even these votes ended in failure?”, he asks.
Petrov reminds us of the “eggs for 17 hryvnias” scandal, which became a symbol of corruption in the Ministry of Defense. He talks about drones bought from firms that strangely get multi-million dollar contracts with no relevant experience. “This is only the tip of the iceberg”, he notes.
If such cases surface in the public space, what happens behind closed doors? The public anti-corruption council could have become a tool to fight these schemes, but instead its creation is turning into another scandal that further undermines trust in the authorities.
Postponing the vote to January 7, 2025 looks like another attempt to buy time. But will it help restore trust? Military and public figures are increasingly declaring that the country is losing its chance for real change. People who are on the front lines every day no longer believe that the state can overcome the internal enemy – corruption.
Will these elections really be fair? Will the Council be able to become an instrument of change, or will it remain just another declaration of intent? So far, all the answers look too pessimistic. And this is the worst thing that can happen to a country that is fighting not only at the front, but also for its own dignity.
Control over the Ministry of Defense: shame or inevitability
In no civilized country is the public forced to assume the role of watchdog over the war department in the midst of war. The Ministry of Defense is a structure that by definition should be a symbol of reliability, control and patriotism. But the reality in Ukraine is strikingly different. The Public Anti-Corruption Council, created to oversee the MoU, has become both a symbol of the fight against corruption and a painful reminder of how deep-rooted the problem is.
How could it happen that in the conditions of a full-scale war, when every hryvnia, every resource should be directed to the support of the army, there is a need to control those who should control others? The answer is obvious, but at the same time terrifying: the system does not work. The war was a test that the MoU could not withstand.
During the war, society’s expectations of the Ministry of Defense were clear: maximum transparency, efficiency and zero tolerance for corruption. But instead, the country received a series of scandals that exposed the true state of affairs. From “eggs for 17 hryvnias” to scandals with fortifications, low-quality mines, non-transparent procurement of drones and uniforms – these cases became not only a reason for indignation, but also an indicator of how impunity officials are now taking advantage of the situation and profiting from the blood of our defenders.
High military ranks, instead of working to support the army, are often involved in schemes that openly undermine the country’s defense capabilities. This is not just corruption – it is betrayal of the state, its subordinates and the entire society that supports them.
It should be noted that corruption in the MoU is not an accident. It was created over decades, during which the system was formed with impunity. Military contracts, opaque tenders, scheme after scheme — all this was possible thanks to the fact that even the most egregious violations remained without consequences. In addition to this, the war created new opportunities for abuse. The need for urgent purchases, huge flows of funding, lack of time for checks – all this has become a favorable environment for those who are used to getting rich on public funds.
The most cynical thing about this situation is that ordinary soldiers pay for the mistakes and abuses of the leaders. They go into battle without proper ammunition, eat at inflated prices, remain without the necessary equipment, which demoralizes the army. When soldiers on the front lines know that their efforts are undermined by corruption in their own department, the motivation to fight for such a country decreases.
Therefore, public control over the Ministry of Defense is a forced measure. Instead of being an example, its officials became the object of suspicion, scandals and mistrust. But as long as responsibility and transparency remain empty words, public control is, albeit weak, the only means of putting pressure on them. However, this is not the norm, but a shame. And if such a shameful situation does not change, the consequences will be catastrophic. Because a state in which citizens lose faith, and the military loses motivation, stands on the verge of both moral and strategic defeat. The Ukrainian army deserves full support, and citizens – the confidence that their taxes are working for the military, and not settling in the pockets of businessmen.
