Corruption’s impact on the environment of Ukraine: current conditions and anti-corruption policy

The paper reveals the following research questions: how does corruption shape environmental outcomes in Ukraine and what are civil society and policy approaches to mitigating environmental degradation in Ukraine? The work analyses results of a survey conducted within the "Corruption, Gender, and Sustainable Development" project’s research, data from the state archives of Ukraine, and media. The state of the environment and the effectiveness of solving environmental problems affect the quality of human life. In 1986, Ukraine became the country that suffered the largest man-made disaster of the century – the Chornobyl NPP accident. Radiation contamination still affects people and nature in the country, and several other environmental problems are added to this: industrial and agricultural pollution, problems with access to quality drinking water, the impact of military operations on the environment with the beginning of the Russian war in 2014 and its escalation in 2022. In some cases, irresponsible economic activity or ineffective political decisions are the reasons for the fruitless solution of environmental problems in Ukraine. Corruption influences the environmental situation in the country. When Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union, the abuse of power by the party leadership at various levels was widespread. This feature had a significant impact on the Chornobyl disaster: during construction, there was theft and falsification of documents, which affected the accident rate of the plant. After the accident, its real consequences were hushed up and concealed, endangering not only the population of Ukraine but also many other European countries, including Ireland. Since Ukraine regained its independence in 1991, the problem of corruption has remained a pressing issue for many years. The environment has repeatedly become one of the victims of corruption when it comes to illegal profiteering from the use of natural resources or illegal land acquisition. One striking example is the presidency of the pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych (2010-2014), whose activities Transparency International included in its list of "25 corruption scandals that shook the world." (2019) Since the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014 – the protests that led to the ouster of Yanukovych and the transition to democracy – the issue of corruption has been under particular public scrutiny. The outbreak of Russian military aggression and the seizure of Crimea in 2014 also had an impact on the environment, and the kleptocratic scheme of nature management imposed on the captured Ukrainian territories played a significant role here. More challenges arose since the full-scale Russian invasion, when a significant number of industrial regions were occupied, and environmental pollution and destruction occurred (the Russian blowing up of the Kakhovka dam and "nuclear blackmail" at the Zaporizhzhia NPP). The EU demands Ukraine to carry out reforms and fight corruption as part of the requirements for membership. In recent years, a number of steps have been taken to combat this problem, including the establishment of the Specialised Environmental Prosecutor’s Office and increased public scrutiny. However, much work remains to be done to fully eliminate corruption in the environmental sector.