Survey Says Most Ukrainians Support Expedited Measures to Punish Corrupt Officials

According to survey data from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KMIS), over half of Ukrainians (55 percent) advocate for the prompt punishment of corrupt officials, even if it involves violating the law by expediting unspecified punishments without due process for the accused.

Meanwhile, 42 percent of respondents believe that punishment should be in accordance with the law, even if it takes an extended period. The remaining 3 percent of respondents remained undecided.

Anton Hrushetsky, deputy director of KMIS, said that corruption remains a significant source of frustration in Ukrainian society. Most Ukrainians demand the swift punishment of corrupt officials, even in violation of the law, marking a noticeable shift towards more radical views compared to the period before the Russian full-scale invasion.

“Actually, this is an alarming trend, as it contradicts the development of a modern European state governed by the rule of law,” Hrushetsky said.

He said that recent revelations about certain officials may only serve as an argument for a limited time that the fight against corruption is genuinely underway. He said that the public expects tangible sentences and real accountability.

“Therefore, the favored method of delaying and, as a result, burying cases may protect someone’s corrupt friend momentarily and could have a detrimental impact on government support in the near future,” warned Hrushetsky.

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The survey, conducted from Nov. 29 to Dec. 9, 2023, involved 1,031 respondents from all regions, excluding the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas, as well as areas lacking Ukrainian mobile communication at the time of the survey.

Deputy Executive Director of Transparency International Ukraine, Anastasia Mazurok, previously presented another sociological study, revealing that Ukrainians view as the country’s main problems: the war (96 percent in November, compared to 98 percent in March) and corruption (88 percent in November, compared to 77 percent in March).

While Ukrainians had remained apprehensive about the war, down by a slight two percent, corruption concerns had increased by 11 percent. Respondents identified corruption as the most significant risk to the country’s recovery, citing the return of corruption schemes (79 percent) and the lack of control, leading to embezzlement of funds (75 percent).