Corruption and Combat Readiness: Reforming Ukraine’s Military for a Long War

As the war against Russia is well into its fourth year, Ukraine’s Armed Forces have evolved into one of Europe’s most battle-hardened and technologically agile militaries. Yet beneath the surface of battlefield success lies a lingering structural weakness: corruption. While much has been achieved since 2022 to root out fraudulent procurement, favouritism and misuse of funds, persistent cases continue to surface—undermining morale, wasting precious resources, and threatening Ukraine’s long-term strategic edge.

This essay explores the enduring problem of corruption in the Ukrainian military, the institutional reforms that have been implemented since the full-scale invasion began, and the critical importance of continuing anti-corruption efforts if Ukraine is to maintain not only the trust of her international partners but also a qualitative advantage over a Russian Armed Forces plagued by its own internal rot.

The Historical Context: Inheritance of a Broken System

When the full-scale war began in February 2022, Ukraine’s military—despite years of NATO-oriented reform—still bore the scars of Soviet legacy structures, including centralised command hierarchies, opaque procurement processes and low institutional accountability. Corruption had been deeply embedded in both the Ministry of Defence and the broader state apparatus.

During peacetime, this manifested in inflated tenders, kickbacks for postings, and theft of supplies. Wartime conditions exacerbated the risks, as massive emergency procurements and international aid flowed into the system with less scrutiny than usual. In 2023 alone, investigations revealed irregularities in food and clothing contracts, non-transparent fuel purchases, and even questionable use of funds intended for the mobilisation effort.

Progress Made Since 2022

To her credit, Ukraine has taken substantive steps toward military transparency and accountability. These include:

• High-profile dismissals: Senior defence officials, including former Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, were removed following procurement scandals. These sackings signalled a shift toward accountability.

  
  

• Public oversight platforms: Systems such as ProZorro (an online public procurement platform with open access to tenders) have been used to publish procurement data, even during wartime, making it more difficult to conceal misconduct.

  
  

• Civil society involvement: Ukrainian NGOs, investigative journalists and parliamentary committees have played a key role in exposing fraud and pressuring for reform.

  
  

• Western conditionality: Military aid packages from the United States, the EU and other donors increasingly include auditing and compliance requirements, creating external pressure for change.

  
  

• Internal audit reforms: The Ministry of Defence has expanded its internal audit mechanisms and improved whistleblower protection, though much work remains.

Yet despite these efforts, corruption has not been eradicated. Instead it has evolved—moving to more discreet forms, involving middlemen, subcontractors, and the grey zones of logistics, mobilisation, and local command structures.

Enduring Problems in 2025

Several areas remain especially vulnerable:

1. Procurement and Logistics

While strategic-level procurement is more transparent, local-level acquisitions—such as food, uniforms, body armour and drone components—are still susceptible to price gouging, favouritism, and informal kickbacks. In some units, soldiers report disparities in equipment quality traceable to supplier manipulation.

2. Mobilisation and Medical Exemptions

Cases continue to emerge of draft evasion through bribery, including falsified medical documents and payments to officials at territorial recruitment centres. These scandals not only erode morale, but undermine national unity.

3. Rank and Assignment Purchases

In certain rear-area units, positions of relative safety or influence are still reportedly for sale, especially in administrative posts. This practice weakens professionalism and fosters resentment among frontline troops.

4. Black Market Diversion

Some military goods—especially drones, Western-supplied equipment, and fuel—are believed to have been diverted to the black market. While these cases are isolated, they represent serious breaches of operational security.

Strategic Risks of Military Corruption

Ukraine faces a unique contradiction. Her military is beating the Russians tactically and technologically, yet some of the same structural problems that afflict the Russian Armed Forces—corruption, patronage, opacity—still exist within her own ranks. The risk is that Ukraine will lose her comparative moral and strategic edge if these issues are not systematically resolved.

Moreover, corruption:

• Weakens combat readiness, as substandard equipment or poor logistics reduce unit effectiveness;

  
  

• Undermines international trust, risking delays or reductions in military aid;

  
  

• Drains national resilience, by disillusioning citizens and exacerbating inequality of sacrifice;

  
  

• Provides propaganda fodder for the Kremlin, which seeks to depict Ukraine as no better than Russia.

Reforming for a Long War

Ukraine must prepare not for a short victory but for a war of indefinite duration. This demands not only new weapons but a reformed institutional foundation. Key priorities include:

1. Full transparency in defence budgeting

Even under martial law, budgetary allocations and procurement contracts must be published regularly—with exceptions only for frontline secrecy. Digital platforms and independent auditors must be embedded.

2. Whistleblower protection and military ombudsmen

A formal military ombudsman’s office, reporting to the Verkhovna Rada, could offer soldiers and officers a protected channel to report abuse or mismanagement.

3. Meritocratic officer training and promotion

Corruption thrives in arbitrary hierarchies. Officer training academies must emphasise ethics, and promotions must be based on combat performance, leadership, and peer review.

4. International auditing partnerships

Western donors should be encouraged to co-audit large aid flows, not only to prevent misuse but also to build local institutional competence.

5. Mobile anti-corruption units

The Armed Forces could establish mobile inspection teams empowered to investigate units across regions, particularly logistics and rear-area commands.

A Strategic Weapon: Clean Governance

Ultimately anti-corruption is not just moral housekeeping—it is a weapon of war. The Russian Armed Forces remain plagued by entrenched graft, outdated patronage networks, and a culture of unaccountability. Ukraine’s strategic advantage lies in doing better—by becoming more agile, more disciplined, and more trustworthy in the eyes of her people and her allies.

Victory in this war will not be won solely by drones or shells, but by a system that earns legitimacy through integrity. That legitimacy gives Ukraine the cohesion to resist, the credibility to attract allies, and the moral authority to claim the mantle of Europe’s frontier of democracy.

Winning the War Within

Ukraine’s military has shown extraordinary resilience and innovation in defending the nation’s sovereignty. But corruption remains a critical internal vulnerability. To prevail in a protracted war against a larger and ruthless adversary, Ukraine must eliminate the inefficiencies and injustices that sap her strength from within.

Reforming the military is not just about making war more effective—it is about ensuring that Ukraine emerges from this crucible not just free, but transformed. A clean army is not only a better fighting force—it is the bedrock of a postwar republic worthy of its sacrifice.