Zelenski's tough fight against corruption

If corruption, after all, a swindle of taxpaying citizens as a whole, is despicable in countries that live by and conform to the habits of a standardised democracy, it is even worse if it occurs in a country at war that is fighting tooth and nail for its own survival. 

Ukraine before it was invaded and bombed by Vladimir Putin's Russia was already considered one of the most corrupt territories in the world. The fall of communism, which gave way to a gigantic process of privatisation of companies and public assets, multiplied the fortunes of the most astute to unsuspected limits, as well as the corresponding trafficking of commissions, kickbacks, and bribes for the entire scale of officials with any decision-making power, however small it might be. 

Volodimir Zelenski is himself a president who became Ukraine's highest office because of the weariness of a people who have grown accustomed to seeing politicians as bloodsucking parasites, incapable of even a passing concern for solving the country's problems. So accustomed were they in Russia and in Ukraine itself to the daily verification of the aphorism that every man has his price, that Putin was even convinced that the special operation in Ukraine would be a three-day military stroll, culminating in the occupation of Kiev, seizing Zelensky and offering him a plane and a handful of tickets for exile. 

The surprise, most unpleasant for Putin and his entourage, and almost unbelievable for the European Union and the United States, is that Zelensky accepted neither the silver bridge nor the gifts offered by the Kremlin, literally took the lead of the troops and people of Ukraine and became the most decisive person in turning the tide of European history. His military fatigues became a reflection of his own personal austerity, all the more conspicuous the greater his pleas and demands for help from the international community. 

Zelenski would soon be informed of the irregularities and corrupt practices that were taking place behind his back, all the more serious because Ukraine, as well as refusing to be completely reduced to rubble, is counting its hundreds or thousands of dead and wounded on a daily basis (as in any war, no reliable official figures are provided). History teaches us that in such situations there are many heroic acts, but also many acts of cowardice and skulking. The struggle for survival transforms minds, and very often the line between deserving a memorial or the gallows is extremely thin. 

Now, the president has relieved his Defence Minister, Oleksi Reznikov, of his duties. He has done so citing "a change of approach and his desire for more and better interaction between the armed forces and the civilian population". Reznikov is not accused of anything, but he himself has had to admit that he was ultimately responsible for the irregular contracting and procurement of equipment, a scandal that surfaced earlier this year, just before the one-year anniversary of the war. 

Another scandal had also surfaced that threatened to provoke a revolt, especially among the poorer classes. From the very beginning of the war, recruitment centre officials had allegedly validated the medical files of candidates who had been exempted from joining the army in exchange for bribes. 

These are actions that have occurred in practically all countries and in all latitudes from the moment an obligation is established and someone has the power to exempt you from fulfilling it or to mitigate its degree of danger and harshness. In addition to thoroughly reviewing each of these files and determining possible responsibilities, President Zelenski has ordered that those conscripts with minor or no serious illnesses or ailments, who were declared exempt, be immediately reinstated. 

At the same time, Ukraine's president has also taken an interest in the sudden increases in the foreign wealth of the country's top officials. If he decides to tighten his iron fist, he will suddenly see the appearance of empty or for-sale luxury homes on the best Spanish and Italian coasts, for example. The gesture is obviously more than necessary. From the United States to some EU countries there is the typical phenomenon of donor fatigue, i.e. the fatigue of providing funds to the same applicant over a long period of time. This is also the reason for the growing number of voices that, without much knowledge of how wars are fought, are demanding more speed in achieving results in the current Ukrainian counteroffensive. 

It is not easy for Zelenski. In addition to dealing with the war front, he has to speed up the fulfilment of the conditions that the EU demands of him - as it does of all aspirants - in order to join the club, especially the eradication of corruption and the unambiguous implementation of the rule of law. There is a queue for EU membership. There are the Balkan countries, whose entry could add many problems to the functioning of the EU if it fails to reform first. And Ukraine, much larger but still at war, cannot afford slips into corruption that would demoralise a people who are setting an example and a lesson to all Europeans who still believe in the supreme value of freedom.