While the world’s attention is rightly focused on Ukraine’s brave resistance to Russia’s full-scale invasion, we believe it is equally important to highlight another battle — the fight against internal corruption. Prior to 2022, public opinion polls consistently identified corruption and abuse of power as the number one concern among Ukrainian citizens.
Today, as Ukraine defends its sovereignty on the battlefield, we must also ensure integrity and accountability within. That is why The Ukrainian Review, in partnership with the human rights organization Spilna Meta (Common Goal), is launching a dedicated initiative to confront systemic corruption, promote transparency, and support justice. We invite all those who support Ukraine — policy-makers, experts, and concerned citizens — to share their ideas, tools, and influence. A clean and just Ukraine is not only a moral imperative — it is also key to a lasting victory.
Ukraine is burning from the outside, but rotting from the inside – the enemy is killing Ukrainians, but the internal enemy is destroying hope for the future.
Ukraine is fighting for its existence. But for decades, the internal enemy (corruption) has been destroying our state from the inside – killing the economy, neglecting human rights, destroying trust in the courts and paralyzing the justice system. While the whole world is helping Ukraine financially, supporting the Armed Forces, and millions of people in Ukraine and abroad are waiting for the end of the war, – certain groups inside the country are cynically implementing corruption schemes with land, in construction, in public procurement and many other areas. The law enforcement system and the courts cannot stop this process, because they are part of it.
Corruption in Odesa
The public organization “Volunteer Movement Common Goal” carries out human rights activities in Ukraine. We record violations of citizens’ rights and report them to law enforcement agencies. But the trends of recent years show a disturbing reality: the police and prosecutor’s office systematically neglect their duties to investigate crimes, especially in the regions, in particular in the city of Odesa.
Since 2020, we have been monitoring the legality of issuing permits in the city of Odesa. As of 2022, more than 70 criminal proceedings had been opened based on our applications, most of which concerned violations by local government officials. With the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine, most of these criminal proceedings were closed due to the expiration of the pre-trial investigation period. The police were unable to confirm the facts of the violations, usually because no investigation was actually conducted.
The legal basis that allows Odesa officials to abuse their power is the General Plan and the Zoning Plan of the city of Odssa. These documents, adopted in 2015 and 2016, respectively, provided for the possibility of illegal development of the Odesa coast. Therefore, since 2016, high-rise buildings have been built in the city’s recreational zone under the guise of hotels and administrative buildings. We have repeatedly filed applications with the police and even lawsuits to cancel construction permits, but so far we have not received any decision to cancel the permit or demolish these illegal buildings.
It is obvious that officials of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Odesa City Council and the Department of State Architectural and Construction Control of the Odesa City Council acted illegally when they issued permits for these constructions. We have repeatedly filed applications with the police in order to bring the perpetrators to justice. The police and the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine have given the same answer – there is no crime, no facts of violations have been identified.
Now the Odesa City Council is trying to steal land near the sea from Odesa residents by adopting a land management project that will reduce the recreational zone near the sea from 210 to 70 hectares.
The Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of the Odessa Regional Prosecutor’s Office informed representatives of our organization at a personal reception that an investigation into this criminal case 42024160000000187 is underway. However, there are no results of the investigation, no person has been served with a notice of suspicion. At the same time, the beach is being built.
One of the striking examples is the illegal construction of a high-rise building near the sea in the park zone of Odesa (Duryanivskyi Avenue, 2-A, 2-B, the former name is Krenkel Avenue). We contacted law enforcement agencies. The Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office reported that the Pechersk Police Department of Kyiv opened a criminal case on the fact of possible abuse by officials of the State Architectural and Construction Inspectorate of Ukraine when issuing a construction permit.
At the same time, the Odesa police (Police Department No. 2 of the Regional Police Unit No. 1 of the Main Police Department in the Odesa region) reported that “no signs of a criminal offense were detected.” This is a typical example of inaction, which actually covers up illegal actions. In recent years, more and more criminal proceedings on the grounds of corruption against officials are simply closed. New applications receive only formal replies.
The State Bureau of Investigation, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau – no measures to bring top officials of Odesa to justice, not a single sentence against a police officer or prosecutor who “got burned” on a bribe.
At a time when Ukrainian soldiers are giving their lives every day for the freedom of the country, impunity and corruption are destroying our state from within.
Our common goal is to eradicate corruption among civil servants, local government officials and, of course, law enforcement officers.
However, unfortunately, our resources as a public organization are limited. Therefore, we have turned to international organizations, including their representative offices in Ukraine, to join forces and create an “anti-corruption coalition”. We seek to unite our efforts to protect human rights, bring dishonest officials and law enforcement officers to justice, and ensure the proper functioning of all institutions in our state – without corruption, bribery, and abuse of power.
Additional information on objects
- ARCHotel Avenue – ARCHotel Avenue – illegal and impudent construction in the heart of Arkadiyskaya Alley. What are the violations: Land according to documents – for the operation of a family and health complex. In fact – a residential complex is being built. Urban planning conditions – without the maximum permissible building height in meters.
Who is to blame: The Department of Architecture of the Odesa City Council – issued urban planning conditions with a violation. The Odesa Prosecutor’s Office, which does not want to investigate these violations.
The latest response from the prosecutor’s office – “the facts set forth in the appeal do not contain circumstances that may indicate that officials of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Odesa City Council committed a criminal offense and are based only on assumptions about the illegality of the actions committed, and as such cannot be considered as subject to entry into the Unified Register of State Investigations”
- Construction on Krenkelya 2-A, 2-B. What is the violation: Land according to documents – green areas of common use, park. Urban planning conditions and permission – for the construction of an administrative building. In fact, the construction of an apartment building by the sea is planned on recreational lands.
Who is to blame: The City Council and DABI – issued permits for the construction of a high-rise building on the site where the park should be.
Police Department No. 2 of the Regional Unit No. 1 of the Main Police Department in the Odesa region – while the Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office reports that an investigation into this object is underway, the Odesa police see no signs of a crime.
- Pierre Clubhouse. Land: historic city center. Urban planning conditions and permission – for the reconstruction of the building. According to the first permission – there should have been 7 floors, when the ninth floor was built, the developer simply received a new permission, as if it was possible to build 9 from the very beginning.
Who is to blame: the city council – with its manipulations with documents, it allowed to build 9 on top in the historic center, where only 18.6 meters in height are allowed.
- Space on Mayachne. What are the violations: Land according to documents – for the operation of non-residential buildings. Urban planning conditions and permission – reconstruction of non-residential buildings and recreational facilities for an administrative building. Under the guise of an administrative building, a hotel is being built on the seashore.
Who is to blame: the city council – which issued the urban planning conditions and a construction permit, while the land lease agreement provides only for the operation of non-residential buildings. The Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office, which has been ignoring the violations occurring at this construction site for years.
- Kandinsky Odesa Residence. What is the violation: According to the documents, the land is a former sanatorium for mothers and children. Officially, the land is owned by the city and still has a designated purpose – recreational land. Urban planning conditions and permission – for a resort and health complex. In fact – four residential buildings, one of which was put into operation “retroactively” – the building itself was still under construction, and the Odesa Regional State Architectural and Health Inspectorate has already issued a certificate of readiness.
The historical area of the city, despite the height restrictions – 21 one-story.
Who is to blame: the city council, which ruined the sanatorium, gave the land for the construction of high-rise buildings. Law enforcement agencies: from two criminal proceedings – no result, neither abuse of power nor official forgery, which was allegedly committed by city council officials, has been proven.
- Modern Residential Complex. What is the violation: Land – Ministry of Defense with a specific purpose – for defense!. Construction customer – Ministry of Defense. Contractor – Stikon. In 2018, the construction company “Stikon” began building almost 1,000 apartments on defense lands. How many apartments in this residential complex were transferred to the military – 0 (zero).
Who is to blame: The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which uses defense lands for construction. Law enforcement agencies – did not take appropriate measures to investigate these facts. There was one criminal case and it did not have any results.
- Coastal Zone Land Management Project. What is the violation: In the proposed land management project, the city council wants to reduce the recreational zone along the Black Sea coast from 210 to 70 hectares.
Who is to blame: The city council, because it has criminal intentions.
The prosecutor’s office and the police, because the investigation of possible violations is slow and has not yet yielded results.
United Nations Convention against Corruption
Let us recall that Ukraine is a party to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which entered into force for our country on June 1, 2010. According to Article 5 of the Convention, Ukraine is obliged to implement effective anti-corruption policies aimed at preventing corruption and to ensure inter-agency coordination. Article 6 requires the establishment of specialized anti-corruption bodies that are independent, protected from undue influence, and adequately resourced. Particularly relevant is Article 36, which explicitly requires that each State Party establish authorities with law enforcement powers, responsible for the investigation and prosecution of corruption-related offenses, and that such authorities be independent and properly staffed.
In light of this Convention, the systematic inaction of law enforcement agencies in Odesa — including the ignoring of dozens of official complaints and the mass closure of criminal proceedings without proper investigation — constitutes a violation of Ukraine’s international obligations. This reflects not only a domestic crisis within the justice system, but also Ukraine’s failure to comply with its international legal commitments.
Furthermore, these cases violate the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), ratified by Ukraine in 1997. In particular, Article 6 guarantees the right to a fair trial, and Article 13 ensures the right to an effective remedy in the event of a breach of rights guaranteed by the Convention. The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly emphasized that the failure of the police or prosecutors to conduct an effective investigation in response to citizens’ complaints constitutes a violation of Article 13 (e.g., Kudła v. Poland, 2000, §152). Therefore, when the state fails to provide an effective investigative response to allegations of abuse of power, it is not only a procedural failure — it is a breach of fundamental human rights under European law.
Accordingly, we are initiating consultations with international bodies — the United Nations (UNCAC), the Council of Europe (ECHR, GRECO), the European Union (Association Agreement), and human rights mechanisms (ECHR, Minnesota Protocol) — to strengthen the fight against corruption within the country and are preparing a series of public appeals to these institutions.
Conclusion
We also ask for your support – informational, organizational, partnership. Help us find allies who are ready to stand by us in this fight: public leaders, journalists, international organizations. Follow our publications, share them, write to us if you see injustice in Ukraine. The more of us, the louder our voice. And the fewer chances those who are used to enriching themselves on the ruins of the state have. This is important not only for us. This is a fight for a Ukraine worthy of a future.
Join us. If you want to influence the future of Ukraine, support our initiative. Write to us at [email protected] for further coordination and joining forces in the fight for the future of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Savchenko, CEO of “The Ukrainian Review”
