Transparency vs Secrecy

Ukraine’s current legal framework for state secrets inherited the Soviet approach to excessive secrecy of all issues related to national security.

This system is based on the principle of secrecy for any information in the security and defence sector. For example, more than half of the Defence Ministry’s procurement is classified. This creates opportunities for large-scale corruption, which often leads to the supply of substandard military goods and services to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, sometimes indirectly causing the death of Ukrainian service members. Corruption in the security and defence sector weakens Ukraine’s ability to defend its national security.

One of NAKO’s key objectives is to strengthen the capacity of civil society to amend legislation on state secrets. We are convinced that the new legislation on protecting state secrets must comply with international democratic standards. This will increase the transparency of budgets and procurement and allow them to be monitored more effectively.