<
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2023/07/17/ukraines-other-front-the-war-on-corruption/>
"Pavlo Novyk monitors his native Kharkiv, a city of 1.4 million near the
Russian border, from an apartment 500 miles away in much safer western Ukraine.
Part journalist, data geek, and civil society activist—he works for the
nonprofit Kharkiv Anticorruption Centre—Novyk spends his days online,
scrutinizing Kharkiv government purchases. Once one of the most corrupt cities
in Ukraine, Kharkiv is now legally required to make purchases—everything from
printer paper to hospital beds to food for animals in the city zoo—through an
online portal available to the public.
Westerners watching the fighting in Ukraine are waiting for a breakthrough on
the battlefield. But Ukraine’s struggle to free itself from centuries of
Russian rule and toxic Soviet-era influences is more than a military face-off.
It is also a war on corruption. This second fight is being waged in the
capital, Kyiv, where the president and parliament have created a network of
anticorruption courts and law enforcement agencies, but also in cities like
Kharkiv, where corrupt mayors aligned with Russia have historically stolen
public funds with impunity.
The good news from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, once a bustling
industrial hub and gateway for trade with Russia: anticorruption activists like
Novyk say their 10-year battle against bribery, extortion, and other forms of
corruption is beginning to pay off. A combination of new online tools and
pressure from international donors has given activists an edge, and city
officials have started to respond when civil society groups file complaints."
Via Joerg Fliege.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
