Ukraine has been fighting widespread corruption since the early days of its independence in 1991, and government officials and independent activists say this fight is key to winning the existential war Ukraine is waging with Russia.
They have had some success. The anti-corruption organisation Transparency International has ranked Ukraine at its highest level since 2006: it now ranks 104th out of 180 countries in its Corruption Watch Index.
"Most Ukrainian anti-corruption institutions are performing quite well," Andriy Borovik, executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, told the BBC.
One of those results, he says, was the May 2023 arrest of then Supreme Court head Vsevolod Knyazev on bribery charges.
"This can be a precautionary measure because if you see someone arrested, you will think twice before doing something corrupt," he says.
There have been other high-profile arrests, including Agriculture Minister Nikolai Solsky and SBU intelligence officer Artyom Shilo.
All three deny any wrongdoing and have been released on bail. Investigations are continuing. /BGNES
