January 2024. A checkpoint at the Hungarian-Ukrainian border near Chop/Tysa captures a moment when two people attempted to flee Ukraine during martial law, a period when adult men faced military service bans and leaving the country was constrained. Border police stopped them while their spouses offered help, proposing a payment of up to 41,000 Ukrainian hryvnias, roughly 1,000 euros. The outcome was not favorable: agents detained the couple and charged them with attempted bribery (attribution: Ukrainian law enforcement).
This incident is among the later documented cases following Russia’s large-scale occupation of Ukraine. The border guard service uncovered several akin events last year, including attempts to cross borders illegally and plans for illicit actions. The main crossing points involve neighbors such as Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Hungary. European data also show that at least 15 border guards were found guilty of terrorism-related crimes in the previous year, alongside corruption charges (attribution: European data sources).
Ukraine continues to wrestle with deep-rooted corruption. Artem Syntnyk, deputy director of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, notes that defense-related sectors attract attention from multiple actors. He highlights that, in the six months prior, the NACP detected illicit wealth or indications of illegal enrichment among military personnel totaling more than 255 million hryvnias in the preceding six months (attribution: NACP).
20.000 dollars
“A fake medical certificate to evade conscription can cost up to 20,000 dollars, with exceptions for certain medical conditions”, says Syntnyk. Regarding border crossings, estimates place the cost at around 8,000 to 9,000 dollars. He adds that these are new realities Ukraine combats, and propaganda from Russia often amplifies each episode, which complicates matters. He recalls having once received pig heads as a threat before the invasion (attribution: Syntnyk).
From the Kiev Institute of Legislative Ideas, a center that researches corruption in Ukraine, researchers Olena Kupina and Vladyslava Rudyka corroborate this assessment. They point to the defense-related public contracts as a primary sector at risk, noting past cases of inflated prices for troops’ food and clothing. When these issues surfaced last year, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed heads of regional military recruitment centers, and Oleksii Reznikov, the defense minister at the time, was removed from office though not charged directly (attribution: Institute of Legislative Ideas).
Advances
Since then, other officials have been replaced, and last month the Defense Ministry appointed a new head of the state defense procurement agency, Marina Bezrukova. Beginning February 1, public contracts in this sector are expected to pass through the Prozorro platform, a move aimed at lowering risks. Ukraine fears that ongoing corruption could erode the confidence of international allies when front-line shortages persist (attribution: Ukrainian official statements).
The European Commission’s most recent Ukraine report, published in November, acknowledges corruption as a widespread issue but also recognizes progress and highlights investigations into high-ranking officials, former ministers, and judges. One notable case involved the president of Ukraine’s Supreme Court, Vsevolod Knyazev, whose case came to light in May of the previous year. According to Transparency International, Ukraine improved its ranking by three points in the past year, now placing at 104 (attribution: European Commission report; Transparency International).
These developments reflect a persistent struggle where reform efforts meet entrenched interests. The country continues to pursue stronger governance in defense procurement and public contracts, while authorities stress that accountability remains essential to sustaining international partnerships and ensuring reliable support on the front lines (attribution: multiple sources cited).