The full-scale war in Ukraine has been going on for 800 days, and all this time the world information space has been filled with new reports about war crimes and tragedies. 800 days is a very long period of time, so a lot of people are starting to lose interest and, frankly, get tired of these messages. And speaking in the context of Ukraine, it is even worse abroad. The level of support for our state is constantly decreasing, and this is due not only to the duration and fatigue of the war, but also to other factors.
As of 2023, Ukraine ranked 104th in the world in terms of the corruption promotion index. Our country currently has the best indicator since independence – 36 points out of 100 (100 – the actual absence of corruption, 0 – total corruption). Despite the positive trend, we still remain, in fact, at the bottom of the ranking among the “third world” countries. It is not surprising that the level of corruption in Ukraine affects the perception of our country in the world, and therefore the provision of assistance to us. Among the citizens of European countries and the United States, there is a clearly formed opinion about the extreme corruption of Ukraine, which absolutely does not play into our hands. Foreign taxpayers are increasingly outraged by the fact that their money is spent on the war in Ukraine, but at the same time stolen by Ukrainian officials.
Similar theses are often heard in the Western mass media, for example – The New York Times published an article with a telling name “Where Is the Money?’ Military Graft Becomes a Headache for Ukraine”, which translates as “Where is the money? Bribery in the military sphere is becoming a headache for Ukrainians.” The article mentions the scandals involving the purchase of eggs, products and winter uniforms for the Armed Forces, in which the Ministry of Defense appeared, and also notes that corruption in Ukraine is a strong argument for reducing the amount and withholding aid for many politicians. At the same time, a material was published on CNN resources, in which it was noted that the Pentagon had sent additional inspectors to monitor the use of financial and technical assistance in Ukraine. What could this mean? Only one thing – they no longer trust us, and therefore, due to corruption, we can lose the support of allied countries and be alone face to face with the enemy.
There is another thesis popular in the West, which concerns international aid, and is actively used by opponents of supporting Ukraine – “We need our money.” Analyzing the situation with corruption in Ukraine, it becomes quite clear why there are a large number of people in the West who are in opposition to us. However, it is worth understanding the other side of the situation – now Ukraine is at war with the main enemy of the Collective Bargaining. The war is taking place on our territory, our infrastructure is being destroyed, our people are dying, and it is us, and not any other country, that has been pushed back 10-20 years in economic and social development. Yes, without the help of other countries, it would be extremely difficult for us, and probably impossible, to resist the Russian war machine, however, unlike us, they do not lose anything except money. Based on this, criticism of support for Ukraine can and should be considered populist criticism. For example, the United States of America, which is the largest provider of aid to Ukraine, since the beginning of the war, about 77 billion dollars, which is only 0.33% of GDP, and for the war in Iraq – 1.9 trillion dollars, another 900 billion dollars were spent on the war in Afghanistan. Without serious calculations, one can understand that Ukraine’s war against Russia is costing American citizens extremely (if that word is appropriate here) cheap. And should I write about the differences between the Russian army and the Afghan mujahideen?
Based on the above, we must be prepared for the fact that sooner or later a large number of allies will greatly reduce, if not stop, their aid to Ukraine. What to do in such a situation? At the very front, you need to think about such a possibility now, so as not to grab your head later. It is necessary to create reserves, introduce real assistance in the development of purely Ukrainian business, and fight corruption. Where to get the money for this? For example, to achieve the return to Ukraine of funds from the offshore accounts of those who robbed it for decades.
Back in February 2023, President Zelenskyi announced that the oligarchy was over in Ukraine, but the lost funds were not returned. No one will be able to name the exact sums that were transferred to offshore accounts, but we are talking about billions of US dollars. To fully understand the situation, it is worth understanding the term “offshore”. This is one of the methods of tax evasion, which is based on the legislation of a number of countries, which partially or fully exempt from taxes on income received outside the country in which the company is registered. In simple words – the withdrawal of capital to a place where taxes are not taken from it. If the Ukrainian authorities manage to return the withdrawn money, our state will receive a tangible influx into the economy, which may help to resuscitate it.
Another option for replenishing the state budget without subsidies from partner countries is the transfer to Ukraine of the assets of the Russian Federation and its citizens who support the war in Ukraine. At the moment, there are about 300 billion dollars of Russian assets in the accounts of various countries, which have been frozen since the beginning of the war. Since then, there have been discussions about the possible transfer of these funds to the benefit of Ukraine. Currently, three working groups are working on this issue, which are studying the legal possibilities of confiscating assets and transferring them to the benefit of our state. European politicians report a positive attitude to such a possibility, however, due to the lack of mechanisms suitable for this process, there cannot be any specifics in terms of terms and figures. The transfer of interest accrued for the preservation of Russian capital to the benefit of Ukraine is discussed separately – there are figures of 3-4.5 billion dollars per year.
According to Josep Borrell, these funds do not belong to Russia and are not sovereign capital, and therefore, if appropriate mechanisms are in place, they can be transferred to Ukraine. It is reported that 90% of the amount will be used for the needs of the Defense Forces, and 10% – for the restoration of infrastructure and support for the defense industry. Despite all the talks and efforts, the world community, for example, China, does not have a clear position on this matter according to the Global Times, strongly opposes the transfer of assets to Ukraine and considers it a dangerous precedent. If the situation with China is more or less clear, then Great Britain, which is one of the biggest allies of Ukraine, also opposes such a decision, and informs that the assets located on their territory can never be confiscated, as this may hinder possible peace negotiations.
Analyzing the political situation in Ukraine and the world, one thing becomes clear – it is necessary to work on increasing the level of one’s own independence, so as not to be left with absolutely nothing one day. Despite regular help from the West, our state must make efforts to gradually get off the “financial needle”, and for this it is necessary to eradicate one, the most terrible evil today – corruption. Without this seemingly obvious step, the state will continue to step back in the historical dimension, and no investments, no confiscated assets will help stop this process.
Read about corruption in various spheres of national security in the following materials.
Pavlo Groholskyi.
