Ukraine's public life has been deeply corrupt for years. Government officials, law enforcement officers, judges, and even those in the corporate sector abuse their power on a daily basis, a report by an organisation representing Ukrainian entrepreneurs writes. The body has called on President Volodymyr Zelensky to take action against the unprecedented corruption.

No one is surprised any more when the topic comes up, as there have been numerous reports in recent years about the deep-rooted corruption in both the political and the business sector of the country.

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian Employers’ Union, representing Ukrainian entrepreneurs, wrote an open letter to President Volodymyr Zelensky demanding measures to curb the abuse of power. The corruption of military officials, judges and notaries knows no limits, the alliance writes.

The unprecedented levels of corruption undermine Ukraine’s defence capabilities, the report says, adding that the alliance is ready to disclose specific names of coordinators and executives who are putting pressure on businesses. A public list of corrupt leaders would include everyone without exception, the organisation writes, proposing that in this time of war, the influence of state power structures in corporate situations not related to national security should be prohibited by law.

„We call on the president, as the guardian of the Ukrainian Constitution, to intervene immediately.”

says the open letter, signed by the heads of 42 small and large companies with thousands of employees.

„Anyone who profits from extortion and sells the honour of a uniform or a judge’s robe for a bribe in wartime must be held accountable.”

– the entrepreneurs write in their appeal to President Zelensky.

It is worth remembering that a trial against Ukrainian national Andriy Naumov in Serbia began in March. The 41-year-old is accused of money laundering by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office. The former Ukrainian secret service officer was arrested on 7 June last year when authorities searched his car at the Serbia-North Macedonia border and found a large amount of money and precious stones in it. As previously reported by V4NA, Naumov’s car was found with 608,000 euros and 125,000 dollars in cash, as well as two emeralds, none of which he declared to the authorities.

Photo: Serbian Interior Ministry

As previously reported by V4NA, Andriy Naumov has held several high-ranking positions in his country. He worked for the Ukrainian State Prosecutor General’s Office, the state agency supervising Chernobyl, DAZV, and left his country shortly before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stripped Naumov of his post and called him a traitor after it emerged that he had been arrested in Serbia, the Nova news portal reports.

More details have emerged about Naumov’s trip and his arrest in June last year. The Ukrainian man’s lawyer said the suspect was only passing through Serbia. He was on his way to Turkey to visit his family, who had moved there.

In 2021, even the European Commission reported systemic corruption in Ukraine. Although the EU had introduced a number of initiatives to reduce the potential for corruption and proposed a number of measures, the Commission report at the time said that no progress had been made. There has been a significant decline in the judiciary and anti-corruption institutions are under threat, according to the report. The authors also mention that oligarchs and interest groups are the biggest problem and are an obstacle to the rule of law and economic development in Ukraine.

Today, the European Commission is much more cautious in wording its messages when it comes to corruption in Ukraine, as Brussels is desperate to integrate the country into the European Union. However, even the Brusselites do not dare to mention in their reports anything concrete suggesting that Ukraine is ready for integration. The above open letter shows that the situation has still not improved.