Zelensky is really cracking down on corruption in Ukraine

On September 12th, President Volodymyr Zelensky penned his name to an important decree aiming to review every decision made by his military’s medical commissioners in order to snuff out corruption in Ukraine’s recruitment practices. 

Every decision made by military medical commissioners to issue certificates of disability or unfitness for military service since the invasion of the country began will be reviewed within the next three months according to the Kyiv Independent. 

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The decree comes after weeks of reports regarding widespread corruption in Ukraine's recruitment process with law enforcement agencies discovering that officials across the country assisted some individuals in obtaining fake medical documents. 

These fake medical documents often listed potentially viable draft-age recruits for the army as disabled or unfit for military service according to The Kyiv Independent, which also noted that the documents were obtained through financial means. 

The move was part of a much larger goal to root out corruption in Ukraine as Zelensky and his advisors work toward transforming the country into a modern Western liberal democracy governed by the rule of law rather than the principles of its former Soviet past.

In January, Zelensky launched a major effort to tackle Ukraine's corruption problem after a growing scandal regarding the procurement of war supplies led to him sacking several high-profile members of his government, according to CNN. 

"It is fair, it is needed for our defense, and it helps our rapprochement with European institutions,” Zelenskhy explained about the shakeup in a nightly address according to a translation from Financial Times. “We need a strong state, and Ukraine will be just that.” 

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Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Viacheslav Shapovalov; Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksii Symonenko; Deputy Ministers of Regional Development Viacheslav Nehoda and Ivan Lukerya; and Deputy Social Policy Minister Vitalii Muzychenko were either fired or resigned. 

Deputy Defense Minister Shapovalov was responsible for the logistics and supply of the Ukrainian Armed Forces according to the ministry’s website, and in his resignation letter, the minister claimed the accusations against him were “unfounded and baseless.”

“Due to the large public outcry, which was largely provoked by unsubstantiated manipulations around the issue of supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there are risks of destabilizing the army supply processes,” Shapovalov's letter read.

“This is unacceptable during the war with Russia. In this situation, the priority is to ensure the stable work of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and to create conditions for transparent, unbiased inspections by law enforcement and other authorized bodies,” the letter added. 

Even members of Zelensky’s inner circle were implicated in corruption and Deputy Chief of Staff Kyrylo Tymoshenko announced his resignation after it came to light that he had been using a vehicle meant for humanitarian purposes for business trips CNN reported. 

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Zelensky’s major government shakeup in January was followed by several high-profile incidents including a raid on Ukrainian billionaire and PrivatBank Ihor Kolomoisky as well as the dismissal of all heads of Ukraine’s military recruitment offices.

“Corruption in military recruiting will be eliminated,” Zelenskey tweeted about the move on August 11th. “The heads of all regional recruitment centers will be fired and replaced by brave warriors who have lost their health on the frontlines but have maintained their dignity.”

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In a video posted along with his comments, Zelensky said that the “system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery in times of war constitute high treason,” according to a translation by Politico. 

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In late August, Zelensky moved to make corruption equal to treason in times of war and he asked the country’s parliament to increase the punishments for any individuals found to be guilty of corruption during war according to Radio Free Europe. 

"I have set a task for the legislation and the Ukrainian legislators will be offered my proposals to equate corruption with high treason in wartime," Zelensky explained in an interview that was shared on his Telegram channel on August 27.

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The Ukrainian President said those found guilty of corruption must face justice and noted that they would not face a firing squad as they would have under Stalinism, but suggested the guilty should be put behind bars if there is evidence of their crimes. 

In early September, Zelensky replaced Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov with Rustem Umerov amid ongoing corruption concerns according to The Washington Post.

“I believe the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole,” Zelensky said in a move that came after months of speculation that Reznikov would be removed for the actions of those working under him. 

As Zelensky and Ukrainian officials do more to stamp out corruption in the country they also do more to show that the country really is moving in the right direction, a situation that may lead to Ukraine’s quicker adoption in the European Union, and someday, the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance.