Ukraine's fight against corruption will define its future, a leading British businessman claims

Ukraine's leadership must show moral courage equal to its military courage. The country must demonstrate that no official, no matter how high, is above the law.

Businessman Timur Mindici, a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, targeted by investigators

The country that has become the symbol of resistance to Russian aggression must now show that it also has the moral courage to clean itself from the inside, not just the strength to defend itself from the outside. No official, no matter how influential, can be above the law, writes Lord Ashcroft, a British businessman and philanthropist, in the Kyiv Post.

For years, Ukraine has been fighting this battle with the shadows of its own system. But the scandal that is now shaking Kiev has a special weight. The National Anticorruption Bureau (NABU) has discovered, according to its own investigators, the most extensive corruption scheme since the beginning of the Russian invasion – one that strikes precisely where the state is most vulnerable: in the energy sector.

Following a 15-month investigation and more than 70 coordinated searches, prosecutors uncovered a sophisticated network of illegal kickbacks at state-owned Energoatom, the national nuclear power operator. The concerned officials allegedly demanded between 10 and 15% of the value of each signed contract. An old custom in Ukraine – before the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, such “taxes” were as high as 30% – but which today causes revolt in a country exhausted by war, cold and blackouts.

Darkness Corruption

This winter will be harder than all the others since the beginning of the invasion. Ukraine's energy infrastructure is the constant target of Russian attacks. If in past years transmission lines and pipelines were hit, now entire plants have been destroyed – almost irreversible losses. The country still produces some of its own gas, but even those facilities are now under bombing.

The result: a state entering winter with minimal resources to heat its homes and hospitals. In towns and villages, power outages have become a way of life, and the morale of the population is falling. In the midst of this chaos, a $100 million scandal breaks out, right in the energy sector – the one that literally keeps Ukraine alive, writes Lord Ashcroft.

Among the names circulated are former Minister of Energy, Herman Galushchenko (recently suspended from the position of Minister of Justice), Deputy Prime Minister Oleksi Chernișov and businessman Timur Mindici, a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenski. While officials are being investigated, Mindici is said to have already left the country.

For Zelenskiy, the case is a litmus test – not only because it involves a former business partner, but also because it comes shortly after criticism of attempts to limit the independence of anti-corruption institutions. The rapid withdrawal of those measures, under the pressure of public opinion, showed the strength of the Ukrainian civil society, but the trust was cracked, the British politician emphasizes.

Moral courage, not just military courage

Ukraine needs, now more than ever, moral courage. A judiciary that is not afraid to investigate and punish to the highest degree. Symbolic arrests or momentary sanctions are no longer enough. The country must show that law is stronger than rank, and integrity – more important than political loyalty.

The scandal erupts just a few days after the publication of the European Commission's annual report on the enlargement of the Union. The document praised Ukraine's remarkable progress in adapting legislation to European standards, protecting minorities and strengthening democratic institutions – all achieved under conditions of war and bombing. But Brussels warns clearly: corruption and press freedom remain vulnerable points.

And yet, the pace of Ukraine's transformation is astounding. While other candidate states, such as the Republic of Moldova, Albania or Montenegro, are making difficult progress, Ukraine is reforming laws, institutions and mentalities in the midst of an invasion.

Two fronts, one truth

What Ukraine is experiencing is a real-time history lesson. A country that defends its borders under the rain of drones and missiles, but continues to rebuild a rule of law, redefines the notion of resilience.

But to win both wars—the one with Russia and the one with corruption—Kiev must understand that one cannot be won without the other. The courage of the soldiers on the front must be matched by the moral courage of the leaders in the offices.

Only then will Ukraine emerge not just victorious, but reborn – a model of democracy and accountability on Europe's eastern frontier, concludes Lord Ashcroft.