406. Fighting the War Within – Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Battle

As the brutal conflict continues, Ukraine is fighting a war on multiple fronts—not just in the trenches, but internally within the corridors of power against a long-standing weapon of Kremlin information warfare: the accusation of irredeemable corruption. In this episode, hosts Saul David and Julius Strauss sit down in Kyiv with Andrii Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, for a brutally honest assessment of where the country stands today. Borovyk pulls back the curtain on the Global Corruption Perception Index, exploring how Ukraine remarkably managed to stabilize and even improve its score during wartime—a feat virtually unheard of for a nation in conflict. The conversation dives deep into the high-stakes friction between wartime efficiency and democratic transparency, covering: The Reality of the Index: Exactly where Ukraine sits globally, how its score compares to neighbours like Hungary and Slovakia, and why the metric is about external perception rather than a direct measurement of ground-level corruption. The High-Stakes U-Turn: The dramatic, late-night political maneuvering surrounding a controversial bill aimed at bringing anti-corruption agencies under political control, the ensuing public protests, and the resulting erosion of international trust. Watchdogging under Fire: How Transparency International Ukraine operates on the policy and legislative levels, saves millions for the state budget through public procurement monitoring, and the institutional distrust surrounding agencies like the State Bureau of Investigations. The Leadership Report Card: A candid evaluation of Ukrainian leadership—from Yanukovych to Poroshenko and Zelenskyy—in their historical and current fights against corruption. The Path Forward: The heavy influence of international leverage (like the EU and IMF) on pushing reforms forward, and a sobering look at Ukraine's post-war future, demographic challenges, and shifting immigration needs. Julius Strauss writes the blog Back from the Front and also owns and runs Wild Bear Lodge, a bear-viewing lodge, in Canada. Check out both in the links below: Substack: https://backfromthefront.substack.com/ Wild Bear Lodge: https://wildbearlodge.ca/ Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at [email protected] Follow us on: X - @PodBattleground Instagram - podbattleground Producer: James Hodgson A Goalhanger Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices