While patriotic Ukrainians unite in their efforts to fight against the Russian invaders, some are profiting from the war. They need to be exposed!
As the war in Ukraine grinds on, the country’s Armed Forces and volunteer battalions face up to the Russian army; the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) exposes spies, saboteurs and collaborators; while volunteers raise funds to support the war effort.
At the same time, corrupt officials and fraudsters continue to exploit the situation for profit.
This is a blight not peculiar by any means to Ukraine. Throughout history we have seen all over the world that war brings out the best and worst in people. There are the heroes, the profiteers, the carpetbaggers and the black marketeers.
In a still relatively young independent Ukraine, corruption has been recognized as an enemy that destroys the state and well-being of Ukrainians from within and damages its image abroad. It is a problem that cannot be ignored, even during wartime.
Fortunately, it is not being ignored. News outlets are posting increasing numbers of articles about the revival of old state-sponsored embezzlement schemes, humanitarian aid being sold off, and bribery on the borders involving customs and border guard officials.
The point here is that such people are not only corrupt but are enriching themselves at the expense of their own people and external supporters during wartime. They are, in effect, working for the aggressor.
On a recent trip seeking refuge in the Transcarpathian region, I came across many examples of humanitarian food items on sale in the grocery stores of Mukachevo for half their usual price or cheaper.
According to VolynNews, bulletproof vests, armor plates and plate carriers were found on April 4 in a warehouse of Volyn State Military Administration. Journalists suspected these goods were being prepared for sale. Indeed, official documentation pointed to completely different goods scheduled to be stored at the warehouse that day.
Later in April, the Epicenter supermarket was freely selling field suits labeled “Not for sale.” The Edelvika Volyn production enterprise explained that on Feb. 26 they received a sample of a field suit and a request from a charity to sew military clothing for defenders. The enterprise made 100 suits funded by volunteers and handed them over to the National Guard of Ukraine.
Since a 100-item batch was too small to produce, the enterprise proceeded to manufacture 1,000 items. 100 were passed on to the National Guard and the remaining 900 were left to be sold “honestly” to earn extra hryvnias.
Field suits with label stating “Not for sale” on sale at Epicentr chain (Photo – Facebook Christina Dom Karpacki)
On June 6, the SBU cracked a large corruption case involving the sale of humanitarian aid and tax evasion. Following Russia’s invasion, several men of conscription age from Dnipropetrovsk region left the territory of Ukraine using forged documents. Afterwards, they sold military ammunition and dual-purpose goods as “humanitarian aid” and evaded paying taxes.
Helmets confiscated by the Security Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk Region (Security Service of Ukraine press service)
During the war, fraudsters have sold military goods for 60 million Hr (over $2 million), recouping their cost at least thrice over.
Corruption schemes have enabled these swindlers to evade paying 20 million Hr in taxes. According to the SBU’s press office, bullet proof vests, helmets, knee pads, thermal imagers and unmanned aerial vehicles were also found together with supporting documentation proving illegal activity.
Various allegations suggest that humanitarian assistance is being systematically stolen and sold off in places as far apart as Lviv and Rome.
The war has triggered a field day for fraudsters and black marketeers. For them, as they say, war is war, but lunch arrives on schedule.
While not wanting to exaggerate the scale of the problem, there is a need for strong public vigilance. The importance of civic responsibility cannot be stressed enough.
The crime fighting and military authorities have their hands full and its is up to responsible citizens to report cases of possible corruption and profiteering so that the culprits – the internal cynical saboteurs – can be exposed and brought to justice.
We owe this to ourselves, our trusting allies, and to the many heroes who have already given their lives for Ukraine.
