The policy of preventing and fighting corruption in the defense – how institutions will implement the State Program

Within the BrainHub platform, a discussion on the measures taken by defense institutions and the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) to combat corruption, in particular in the context of the implementation of the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023-2025, was held at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. 

Thus, Oleksii Reznikov, Defense Minister of Ukraine, emphasized that the Ministry of Defense has initiated the State Anti-Corruption Program implementation. In particular, he noted that it is one of the tracks that will lead Ukraine to NATO membership.

“Today, considering the State Anti-Corruption Program as one of the tracks that will lead us to a positive vote so that Ukraine will become a 33rd country member of the Alliance. Given that next year is the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, it will be very symbolic. Therefore, it is our task to do this. For me personally, as a person, as a lawyer, as a minister, the adoption of this program is an absolutely organic, necessary step,” the Defense Minister emphasized.

Oleksii Reznikov added that on April 4, an action plan for the State Anti-Corruption Program introduction was approved.

“Today, first of all, it concerns the disposal of land the defense forces require for military use, real estate, surplus movable military property, intellectual property, fuel consumption, procurement of defense goods, works and services, control of defense products, provision of housing for military personnel and implementation of military personnel policy, etc.”, he explained.

In total, according to Oleksii Reznikov, 16 strategic results and implement 65 measures are planned to achieve. 

During the discussion, NAPC Head Oleksandr Novikov emphasized the strengthening of the NAPC’s role in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Strategic Industries as the facilitator of integrity-building measures.

He noted that the NACP has already established a separate unit for building integrity in the security and defense forces.

“Corruption in Russia is our ally, and corruption in Ukraine is our enemy. Therefore, by overcoming corruption in the Security and Defense Forces, we will definitely win as soon as possible. This year, the NACP has moved from anti-corruption to building integrity under NATO standards. Therefore, we, like the Ministry of Defense, are moving towards integrity. Not against anything, but for integrity as an ethical category, as a category that determines the effectiveness of any institution,” he said.

In his turn, Oleksandr Kamyshin, Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine, emphasized two critical goals of the Ministry in implementing the State Anti-Corruption Program: building an adequate anti-corruption infrastructure in defense and introducing continuous monitoring and control of corruption risks to minimize it, especially in the state-owned Ukroboronprom State Concern is a strategic manufacturer of weapons and military hardware in Ukraine.

“Preparations for transforming the state concern into a joint-stock company have been underway for a long time. This process has been started, and today the state concern has been transformed into a joint-stock company and the Supervisory Board is being formed. We are working towards both the internal structure and the external infrastructure. We are working on how to make defense procurement more efficient and transparent while maintaining the security balance. We are also developing a program to manage state property more efficiently,” he explained.

BrainHub is the country’s main discussion platform created by the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. It brings together experts from the state and civil society sectors. BrainHub hosts intellectual discussions around the issues of the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. It’s the birthplace of the best ideas that will become the foundation for the road map of Ukraine’s reconstruction in all sectors: economy, infrastructure, education, agriculture, security, digital, etc.

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