OPINION –\u00a0Ukraine Is Weakened by Corruption, So How Is It Stymying the Russians?<\/p>\n
Corruption undermines society as surely as termites undermine houses. Ukraine suffers from corruption. So how has Ukrainian society nonetheless managed to stymie a Russian invasion, and even\u00a0turn the tables<\/a>\u00a0on its invaders?<\/p>\n I asked experts inside and outside Ukraine for their answers to this pivotal question and heard several interesting theories. The most intriguing is that it\u2019s possible in certain situations to be simultaneously corrupt and patriotic.<\/p>\n Here are some of the explanations:<\/p>\n Ukraine is corrupt, but the enemy is even more corrupt.\u00a0<\/strong>On Transparency International\u2019s\u00a0Corruption Perceptions Index<\/a>, Ukraine was 122nd of 180 countries last year (higher numbers are worse). Pretty bad, but Russia was ranked even worse, at 136th. In May the U.S. State Department\u00a0said<\/a>, \u201cWhile it may be too early to draw definitive conclusions, we have seen open-source reporting about expired rations, lack of fuel and outdated and poorly maintained equipment that point to the waste, misuse and abuse of \u2018public\u2019 resources designated for Russia\u2019s military.\u201d<\/p>\n […]<\/p>\n Ukrainians are rallying around their flag. \u201c<\/strong>Corruption is less because the survival of the nation is at stake,\u201d said Brian Bonner, who was chief editor of The Kyiv Post from 2008 to 2021 and is now an editor at Geopolitical Intelligence Services. \u201cWe\u2019re at a higher level of unity and selflessness than I\u2019ve seen since I\u2019ve lived here.\u201d Prince Michael of Liechtenstein, who founded Geopolitical Intelligence Services, agreed: \u201cPeople stuck together. There was a strike from outside and they came together.\u201d<\/p>\n