Corruption in Ukraine since the country became an independent state in 1991 is a societal issue rooted in the dissolution of the Soviet Union that year.Kaleniuk, D., & Halushka, O. (2021). Why Ukraine’s fight against corruption scares Russia. Foreign Policy, 17. Following independence, Ukrainian politicians from across the political spectrum, criminal bosses, and Ukrainian oligarchs exploited corruption within the National Police of Ukraine, the country's political parties, and industry to gain power. While Ukraine is still considered one of the more corrupt countries in Europe, it has made steady progress in improving its standing since 2015.
History The modern period of corruption in Ukraine can be traced back to when it formed part of the Soviet Union, prior to 1991. During the 1980s, individuals linked to Soviet organised crime became integrated into the Soviet ruling elite. The American academic Louise Shelley, writing in 1998, commented that corruption in Ukraine followed similar patterns to organized crime and political parties across the post-Soviet space.
For two decades following the establishment of Ukraine as an independent state in 1991, the country experienced a period of violent corruption.
During this period, corruption in industry and tourism was particularly acute in Donetsk Oblast.Kuzio, T. (2014). Crime, politics and business in 1990s Ukraine. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 47(2), 195–210 In 2005, mass graves containing businesspersons, judges, lawyers, and investigators were discovered in the region.Leshchenko, S., 2013a. Yakshcho Akhmetov ne zupynyt Yanukovycha, to rozdilyt vidpovidalnist iz nym. Ukrayinska Pravda Blog. December 3. . A former governor, Viktor Yanukovych, and his Party of Regions were among those accused of maintaining close ties to organised crime.Koshiw, J.V., 2013. Abuse of Power. Corruption in the Office of the President. Artemia Books. Despite this, Yanukovych won the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election.
According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2006, the main causes of corruption in Ukraine included a compromised justice system, a centralised and non-transparent government, close ties between business and political elites and Russia, and a weakened civil society.CORRUPTION ASSESSMENT: UKRAINE, USAID (February 10, 2006) Corruption has been a frequent topic of Ukrainian media coverage.
A 2013 survey of Ukrainians found the country's most corrupt officials were believed to be the judiciary, the police, public servants, the health service, and parliament.Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer: Ukraine has become more corrupt over the last two years, The Ukrainian Week (July 9, 2013) Yanukovych was overthrown during the Maidan Uprising, which began in 2013 after his government—viewed by many of the protestors as corrupt—refused to sign a trade agreement with the European Union.Kulyk, V. (2014). Ukrainian nationalism since the outbreak of Euromaidan. Ab Imperio, 2014(3), 94–122.Kulyk, V. (2016). National identity in Ukraine: Impact of Euromaidan and the war. Europe-Asia Studies, 68(4), 588–608. Yanukovych's pro-Russian tendencies caused Ukrainian nationalists to link corruption in Ukraine with the country's relationship with Russia.Shveda, Y., & Park, J. H. (2016). Ukraine's revolution of dignity: The dynamics of Euromaidan. Journal of Eurasian Studies, 7(1), 85–91.Åslund, A. (2014). The maidan and beyond: oligarchs, corruption, and European integration. Journal of Democracy, 25(3), 64–73.Kuzio, T. (2014). Crime, politics and business in 1990s Ukraine. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 47(2), 195–210.Zhuk, S. I. (2014). Ukrainian Maidan as the last anti-Soviet revolution, or the methodological dangers of Soviet nostalgia (Notes of an American Ukrainian historian from inside the field of Russian Studies in the United States). Ab Imperio, 2014(3), 195–208.Marples, D. R., & Mills, F. V. (Eds.). (2014). Ukraine's Euromaidan: Analyses of a Civil Revolution (Vol. 138). Columbia University Press.Onuch, O. (2014). The Maidan and beyond: who were the protesters?. Journal of Democracy, 25(3), 44–51.Corruption Reveals Russian, Chinese and Internal Ukrainian Involvement, Kyiv Post (13 December 2022) In the aftermath of the uprising, law enforcement reforms were introduced to reduce waste, public procurement procedures were changed, and some state-owned industries were dissolved, but critics argued that the progress made in tackling corruption was too limited.De Waal, T. (2016). Fighting a culture of corruption in Ukraine. Carnegie Europe, 18, 2016.
In 2008, Transparency International (TI) estimated that 3050 percent of Ukrainians had experienced government corruption. Juhani Grossmann, when working in 2009 for the ACTION project (Promoting Active Citizen Engagement in Combating Corruption in Ukraine), which was funded by the USAID, claimed that "Ukrainians pay roughly ₴3.5 billion, or more than US$400 million, in bribes annually."INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES, DONORS, PROJECTS , ANTI-CORRUPTION PORTAL The previous year, he claimed that the figure was US$700 million.Ukrainians shrug off corruption despite damaging effects Kyiv Post (March 6, 2008)
In 2011, Yanukovych announced that corruption was costing his government an estimated 2.5 billion each year, and that corrupt practices in public procurement alone resulted in 1015% of the state budget (approximately US$7.4 billion) ending up "in the pockets of officials". According to the economist Ararat Osipian, Ukraine failed to sustain its economic growth trends in the 2000s due to endemic corruption.Osipian, Ararat. (2009). The Impact of Human Capital on Economic Growth: A Case Study in Post-Soviet Ukraine, 1989–2009. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 256 p. Corrupt practices marked Yanukovich's period as president; it contributed to his removal from office in 2014, and left the Ukrainian Ground Forces ill-equipped to counter Russia's invasion of Crimea that year.
In 2016, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that a reduction in corruption was a key condition for continued international support for Ukraine. Some Western analysts argued that large foreign loans were not encouraging reform, but instead were enabling the extraction of funds from the country through corrupt practices. The then U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland, called for the prosecution of corrupt officials, stating: "It's time to start locking up people who have ripped off the Ukrainian population for too long and it is time to eradicate the cancer of corruption."
A 2025 Gallup opinion poll found that 85% of Ukrainians believed corruption was widespread throughout their government, a figure that had hardly varied since 2007.
Bribery In the 2000s, bribes were used in Ukraine to ensure that public services were delivered, with many Ukrainians considering their payment to be customary and expected. Some of the largest recorded bribes exceeded US$1 million.
In a 2001 survey conducted by the German market research company GfK, 43% of respondents stated that they had never personally paid a bribe.Press release , 10th International Anti-Corruption Conference (2001)
According to a Management Systems International survey conducted in 2008, the highest levels of corruption were identified in vehicle inspection services (58%), the police (54%), health care (54%), the courts (49%), and in higher education (44%). In another 2008 survey, 21% of those questioned answered that they—or someone living in their household—had paid a bribe during the previous year.Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer 2009 Report , June 2, 2009, pdf Abs1:22, 32, 33.In Ukraine, 1200 people were interviewed face to face in a national survey November 4–12, 2008. The survey in the UK was of 1018 people interviewed online November 27 – December 1, 2008. The survey in the U.S. was of 1017 people interviewed online October 30 – November 4, 2008. (pdf ABs1:22). Surveys conducted between 2000 and 2010 showed that a majority of Ukrainians self-reported engaging in corrupt transactions with government authorities.Corruption, Democracy, and Investment in Ukraine , Atlantic Council (October 2007)Fighting Corruption In Ukraine: Ukrainian Style, Gorshenin Institute (July 3, 2011)National Integrity System Assessment, Ukraine 2011 , TORO Creative Union – Transparency International Contact in Ukraine. pdf page 36.Corruption in the UK: Overview & Policy Recommendations, Transparency International UK, June 2011, summary page 2.
In the Global Corruption Barometer 2013 produced by TI, Ukrainians reported that the institutions to which they most commonly paid bribes during the preceding two years were the police (49% of responders), medical and health services (41%), and the education system (33%).
Corruption in Ukrainian politics
National politics In the years following Ukrainian independence, electoral fraud was widespread, mainly through the administrative resource available to some candidates.Andrew Wilson, Virtual Politics – Faking Democracy in the Post-Soviet World, Yale University Press (2005), According to the British political analyst Taras Kuzio, the fraud accounted to more than five percent of the total vote.
Pavlo Lazarenko, who was the prime minister of Ukraine from 1996 to 1997, allegedly embezzled between US$114 million and 200 million, After the initial round of voting in the 2004 presidential election, the Supreme Court of Ukraine ruled that the scale of the electoral fraud made it impossible to determine the election results, and it ordered a revote.Supreme Court of Ukraine decision regarding the annulment of November 21 vote. Full text in Ukrainian and Summary in English Instances of vote rigging have since declined,Understanding Ukrainian Politics:Power, Politics, And Institutional Design by Paul D'Anieri, M. E. Sharpe, 2006, (page 63)Committee of Electors of Ukraine registers no major violations at elections to Ternopil regional council , Interfax-Ukraine (March 16, 2009) EU endorses Ukraine election result, EU Observer (February 8, 2010)International observers say Ukrainian election was free and fair The Washington Post (February 9, 2010) European Parliament president greets Ukraine on conducting free and fair presidential election Kyiv Post (February 9, 2010) although politicians continued to allege election fraud, and some political parties persisted in using tactics to secure votes,Opposition pushes for immediate meeting with Yanukovych Kyiv Post (September 22, 2011)BYT: International observers were physically unable to record mass irregularities in run-off vote Kyiv Post (February 11, 2009)Yanukovych sure Tymoshenko will try to rig results of presidential election Kyiv Post (December 17, 2009)Tymoshenko says she will prevent Yanukovych from rigging presidential election Kyiv Post (December 17, 2009) Zik.com (January 8, 2010)Taras Kuzio, Yushchenko and Yanukovych Forge an Electoral Alliance Kyiv Post (January 8, 2010) Yanukovych's Party Looks To Victory Amid Claims Of Election Fraud, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (November 1, 2010) ПР отримала мерів майже в половині областей BBC Ukrainian (November 8, 2010) У Криму комуністи і партія «Союз» вимагають перерахунку голосів , Дзеркало тижня (November 3, 2010)Westerners, local observers rip Oct. 31 elections as undemocratic Kyiv Post (November 5, 2010) and the Ukrainian electorate remained sceptical of the integrity of the electoral process.Poll: Less than 5% Ukrainians believe presidential election will be fair Kyiv Post (January 12, 2010)Poll: Most Ukrainians not planning to sell their votes in presidential election Kyiv Post (January 12, 2010)Survey Shows Every Fifth Ukrainian Ready To Sell Vote, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (October 22, 2010)