Ukraine’s most controversial court on June 18 blocked an order to fire the new CEO of state hydrocarbon monopoly Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko. In April, the Cabinet of Ministers fired former Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolev and replaced him with Vitrenko. Naftogaz and Ukraine’s western partners criticized the dismissal, saying it violated Ukraine’s corporate governance norms. On June 15, the National Agency

UkraineAlert by Willem Buiter Since it regained independence in 1991, Ukraine has exhibited systematic economic under-performance. The main driver behind this thirty-year record of disappointing growth is bad governance and, more specifically, corruption. Comparisons of Ukraine’s economy since 1992 with neighboring Poland and Russia illustrate this problem. In 1992, GDP per capita in Poland was USD 2,459. By 2019, this

UkraineAlert by John Lough Ukraine’s old “judicial corporation” is facing a serious challenge to its monopoly of power. Under pressure from its international partners, the Zelenskyy administration is again pushing to overhaul the procedures for appointing members of Ukraine’s 21-member High Council of Justice. The Council has overall responsibility for recruiting and disciplining judges. Until now, the Council of Judges,

Originally published on Zn.ua According to the latest social polling, more than 70% of citizens do not trust the Prosecutor General’s Office. Even more eloquent is level of trust to the Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova personally. Only 5% of citizens trust her, which is even less than in the Russian propaganda media (8.4%). In autumn last year, Volodymyr Zelenskyi stated

The U.S. Department of State on Feb. 23 launched a new International Anti-Corruption Champions Award and gave it to a number of individuals including ex-Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka. “Around the world, corruption threatens security and stability, hinders economic growth, undermines democracy and human rights, destroys trust in public institutions, facilitates transnational crime, and siphons away public and private resources,” Secretary

Controversial judge Pavlo Vovk hid from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on Feb. 16, refusing for a second time to be brought to a bail hearing in a corruption case against him.  Earlier, Vovk ignored a ruling by the High Anti-Corruption Court that authorized the NABU to bring him to the previous bail hearing by force on Feb. 8. Vovk,

The European Parliament approved a resolution on Ukraine’s implementation of the Association Agreement: corruption inhibiting reforms, lack of political will to ensure the independence of judicial institutions, and more – Ukraine has been harshly criticized. The resolution was supported by 676 MPs. The results of the vote, which took place on Wednesday evening as part of the plenary session of

On February 2, 2021, Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on Taras Kozak, Member of Parliament of the OPzZH and right-hand man of Viktor Medvedchuk, and eight legal entities, where he is indicated as a beneficial owner. These companies own three TV channels – ZIK, NewsOne and 112 Ukraine. Meanwhile, the media learned from sources in the SBU and the NSDC that