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Ron at Maidan, April 2022
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Regardless of the topic, history, or context someone in the comments will always lose their mind about "Ukrainian corruption." Take ole Chris Knox, for example. He commonly posts without regard for the subject and enjoys interjecting his anti-Ukraine thoughts. Recently, Chris was on a good old-fashioned conspiracy kick about crypto money laundering to Ukraine when he said, "idk let's be honest though they are corrupt as hell." In this post, I'll agree with Chris Knox that "they" were corrupt as hell, and I'll even mention who and how, but I will disagree with him that Ukraine is corrupt as hell. Ukraine has only been a country for 31 years, and the growing pains from the former Soviet Union are nearly all gone!
As I mentioned in my
previous post, today, the United States has far more "corruption" compared to Ukraine. But that isn't a consideration for those who parrot the phrase "Ukraine is corrupt." Notice they never elaborate. If they do elaborate, it is all about "Hunter Biden..." (more on that below) What do people mean when they talk about corruption in Ukraine, anyway? Maybe they mean that there is bribery, lobbying, embezzlement, cronyism, treason, and election rigging? These have all occurred in Ukraine. In fact, the worst of it was truly horrific. It took a revolution to change. It costs lives. The Ukrainian people did what no one thought they could do. They overthrew the king of corruption.
Victor Yanukovych was the fourth President of Ukraine. He grew up "poor" in the eastern side of Ukraine, in Donetsk Oblast. In 2004, Yanukovych had his
party rig the election for President, initially winning. After
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| Yanukovych and Putin May 2012 |
indictments of election fraud, a massive protest started called
The Orange Revolution. The Ukrainian Supreme Court later concluded the initial results to be falsified, and in a run-off election, he lost. Most people would imagine that his political career would be finished, but his come-back would be an interesting tale of
Paul Manafort and the Kremlin's support. In 2010, Yanukovych ran for President again, this time winning fairly. Yanukovych would pay Paul Manafort "
more than $60 million" during his publicly touted reformation.
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| luxury toilet at the Mezhyhirya Residence |
As the President of Ukraine, Yanukovych became a massive crime lord. He consolidated the businesses he liked under his control and took anything he wanted. The group that benefited became known as "The Family." By 2013, in his actual family, Oleksandr Yanukovych is estimated to have made $133 million from this organized crime network, and that was a low amount compared to others in The Family. Yanukovych's most widely known evidence of his glutinous corruption was his residence,
Mezhyhirya. Luxury was the name of the game, and the Mezhyhirya residence just north of Kyiv had everything:
golden toilets... even a
zoo. The place shocked Ukrainians at the millions spent on such lavish, Kingly things. They later made it a museum and park. My friends offered to take me there on the 4th of July. It was closed, unfortunately. I would have enjoyed sitting on the "throne."
In 2013, Ukraine had certainly become one of the most corrupt nations on earth thanks to Yanukovych. While the previous Presidents before him were hardly honorable, Yanukovych took it to levels
hardly anyone thought possible. But Yanukovych had one person in particular that he had to thank: Vladimir Putin. Russia began supporting Yanukovych early on in his first attempt to become President. They helped with propaganda and money, and after he was finally elected, Putin wanted to cash in on his purchase. In 2013, Yanukovych removed Ukraine from the
EU association agreement at the last minute and instead signed a Russian agreement. As Russia's second-largest trading partner, Putin wanted Ukraine all to himself, and Yanukovych certainly thought his Russian friends would protect him in this shock to the nation. It sparked a massive protest that would become known as the
Revolution of Dignity. The protest was massive and became violent. You can watch the documentary "Winter on Fire" on Netflix. I have now been to "Freedom Square" on three occasions. To me, it feels like the spirit of 1776 or a Boston Tea Party. The feeling of freedom there is incredible. And now the Ukrainians are fighting for not only their freedom but their survival.
In the end, the Russian Puppet President of Ukraine, Victor Yanukovych, would flee straight to Russia in his Presidential helicopter. He has made something of a reappearance recently. In March, it was reported that Putin had plans for ole Vick: He was supposedly going to be brought back to Kyiv and once again
installed as the Ukrainian President. Good thing for him he apparently didn't go with the Russian soldiers who were destroyed in their attempts to take Kyiv.
My personal experience in Ukraine has been that corruption in the public sector isn't anything more than what you might expect in small-town America. There are still panhandlers and the occasional drunk who want more money, and a "tip" is appreciated... but certainly not the same feeling as Mexico or the Bahamas, which I find to be far more corrupt on the public sector side of things. Ukraine is not perfect, but I honestly believe today that they are far less corrupt as a whole than just about any State in America. At the end of the day, "corrupt" is just a buzzword that Russian propaganda loves to use. These buzzwords mixed with a grain of truth are unfortunately effective. Ukraine
WAS corrupt. It
HAD Russian puppets. Sadly, like "Assault Rifle" or "Ghost Gun," there are loads of folks (like Chris Knox) who understand those anti-gun buzzwords and the hypocrisy surrounding them but not their own hypocrisy towards the lovely, brave, and free people of Ukraine.
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