The Times: Widespread corruption in Ukraine prevents the construction of fortifications for energy facilities

Ukraine hasn’t built fortifications to protect energy facilities despite recommendations from its Western partners in February due to rampant corruption in the country, The Times reported.

A report published by The Times referred to a test conducted on secret concrete structures and fortifications near Kiev, in which British military engineers, intelligence officers and diplomats participated, regarding the tolerance of these structures to missile attacks, and it was recommended to use them to protect Ukrainian energy facilities.

The report added, “Engineers from Britain, the United States, Germany and Japan submitted recommendations to their Ukrainian counterparts in February 2024 to build these structures, however, the government of Volodymyr Zelensky hasn’t implemented the project even nine months later, amid accusations that government corruption is hampering implementation”.

Mustafa Naim, the former head of Ukraine’s Agency for Reconstruction and Development, who resigned in June, told The Time newspaper that the Ukrainian government’s attempts to obstruct the project were the reason for his resignation.

He explained that the construction of fortifications for the power stations was stopped by a decision of officials in the office of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, because they didn’t receive the financial share they expected from the project.

The Times noted that Zelensky’s office, the prime minister’s office, and the Ukrainian energy ministry all declined to comment on the data.

Corruption in Ukraine, particularly in the military, is frequently reported.

The Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General has previously stated that corruption is the biggest obstacle to Ukraine’s accession to NATO and the European Union, and prevents economic recovery and attracting foreign investment.

The Pentagon’s inspector general reported that corruption had been recorded during inspections of the fate of US aid to Ukraine.

According to the inspector’s report, 57 corruption investigations have been opened in Ukraine since February 2022, of which 14 have been completed and 43 are still open.

The completed investigations resulted in 7 arrests, 13 criminal charges, 2 convictions, and 11 suspensions.

The open investigations relate primarily to grant and procurement fraud, corruption, theft, and other violations.

According to a poll conducted by the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda last April, more than half of Ukrainians see corruption as the biggest threat to the country’s development.

In June, Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said the country had lost 50% of its electricity generation capacity, which wouldn’t be enough to survive the winter, and that electricity imports were not enough to cover the deficit.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, announced the destruction of 90% of all thermal power stations and 30% of hydroelectric power stations as a result of the ongoing Russian strikes on energy sites and infrastructure in Ukraine.

The Russian Armed Forces began striking Ukrainian infrastructure on October 10, 2022, two days after the attack on the Crimean bridge, which the Russian authorities accused Ukrainian intelligence of being behind.

Strikes are being carried out against energy facilities, the defense industry, military command and communications throughout the country.

Since then, air raid alerts have been issued daily in various, and sometimes all, regions of Ukraine.

At the same time, Moscow has repeatedly stressed that the Russian army doesn’t attack residential buildings and social institutions.