Corruption is a key (if not the main) obstacle to the integration of Ukraine’s defense sector into NATO standards. The biggest problems are in the segment of defense orders, technical support of the army with weapons, and management of the Armed Forces. The reaction to corruption scandals in the defense sector should be immediate and tough. What do we have in practice? A scandal with the embezzlement of funds in Ukroboronprom and a completely inadequate reaction from the state leadership. During martial law, thieves who embezzle the defense budget would have been put against the wall long ago for looting and enriching themselves on the deaths of people… Now think: does the situation in Ukroboronprom add points to our declared path to NATO? With one hand, they are making loud PR about the course for Euro-Atlantic integration, and with the other, they are embezzling the defense budget. This is not the path to NATO, but behind bars. I insist that civilian control in the defense sector must be organized. Defense is a matter for the whole society, not just people in uniform. I am also convinced that the private sector should be fully allowed to place defense orders. Ukroboronprom cannot be a monopolist in a country where war has been going on for five years. In addition, the system of command of the Armed Forces must be radically changed, ensuring the autonomy of the actions of each combat unit. The system of legal support must be changed, especially the statutes of the Armed Forces, branches of the armed forces, operational-tactical parameters, and requirements for the Armed Forces of Ukraine need to be changed. Currently, this is a small post-Soviet fragment of the army of a post-totalitarian regime, and not a modern NATO-style army. The main value in the army should be a soldier and an officer, not weapons and property.
This can be done exclusively through civilian control. The key institution of civilian control over the actions of law enforcement agencies is the Verkhovna Rada (parliamentary committees and subcommittees). For Ukraine today, it is very important to also create a network of territorial defense. Civilian control will thus work both through parliamentary committees and through the public. Therefore, I emphasize once again: let’s abandon the idea that defense is only the business of the military. Today, each of us is responsible for security and defense.
Only through the publicity and transparency of this process. If this continues to be conducted behind closed doors, it will not be possible to avoid corruption. Public control must also operate here. Without this, the system itself will provoke dishonest officials into corruption schemes. In addition, I will emphasize once again – we are ripe for allowing private companies to enter defense orders, as is the case in other countries. Corruption is destroyed by competition.
Ukroboronprom is a big hole, into which, like an abyss, colossal state money is poured into various “schemes” of embezzlement. As long as we tolerate all this, it will be a malignant tumor. To ensure effective management of the concern, there is only one way – to work through parliamentary control. First, the parliamentary committee has not only the right, but also the obligation to listen, be interested, and take direct part in personnel decisions in this structure. Second, pay attention to the mechanism of management of Ukroboronprom. The functions of management and control over the activities of the concern are carried out by the Cabinet of Ministers. But at the same time, the appointment of the CEO and personnel policy are in the hands of the president. This is a systemic error in the legislation, which introduces imbalance and chaos into the control over the work of Ukroboronprom. If the government manages property and disposes of money, then it should also be responsible for personnel policy. I am returning to the scandal with the embezzlement of funds at Ukroboronprom. Today, in fact, questions should also be asked of Groysman. How do you in the government control the use of budget funds? You are responsible for this. You have the budget in your hands, have you forgotten about it? Because it turns out that the functions have been distributed, and in the search for the guilty, they are nodding at each other. It is not enough to dismiss the management of the concern, we need to change the management system. There must be unity of the executive branch. After all, this concerns the security of our country.
We must do everything to block the very possibility of illegal trade, because it is smuggling. By the way, the existence of the so-called gray zone is one of the reasons why the war has lasted so long. Business has been going on there for a long time. And from all sides. As for legal trade, the situation in Crimea and Donbas is different. Let me remind you that Ukraine must comply with the Geneva Conventions it has ratified to respect the rights of people from occupied territories. This is, at a minimum, about maintaining the life support of citizens in Donbas. This includes water, sewage, and electricity. The situation with Crimea is somewhat different. In this territory, all responsibility for the rights of citizens lies entirely with the occupying Russian regime. The only thing is that in a situation that threatens the lives and security of these people, the OSCE could become a mediator. Especially in the situation of providing the peninsula with water.
This land has different purposes. It is one thing to have training grounds, shooting ranges, and quite another to have land under the corresponding recreation centers, camps, forest lands, etc. Non-core assets should be transferred to communities, core assets should remain with the Ministry of Defense. At one time, I had to insist that the Ministry of Defense transfer at least communal facilities and corresponding lands to territorial communities with so-called parallel names. There are many such settlements in Ukraine. For example, there is Makariv and Makariv-1.
Once in Odessa, I met a family where the third generation grew up in a dormitory on 18 square meters. A simple principle works: if we don’t want to feed our army, we will feed someone else’s. Therefore, we have no other option than to provide the military with housing. Period. Our task in the budget is to provide funds and build housing in accordance with the deployment of combat units. This can be done at the expense of non-core assets of the Ministry of Defense. The army should be engaged in ensuring defense capability, conducting military exercises, and being ready for combat operations. The army should not be engaged in other matters. This means that we need to radically revise all legislation in this area. Especially regarding such a meaningless concept as military property, which is neither private nor state. Its status is still unclear. All non-core forests, lakes, and lands should be immediately transferred to territorial communities.
