Key Trends
In 2024–2025, Ukraine has seen a sharp rise in politically motivated criminal cases targeting entrepreneurs and reformers. Despite public declarations of reform, law enforcement and judicial mechanisms are increasingly used to consolidate power, suppress dissent, and redistribute assets.
- Record Cases Against Businesses: In 2023, Ukraine opened over 43,000 criminal cases targeting entrepreneurs—the highest figure since 2012. Most never reach court but damage reputations.
- Law Enforcement as a Tool: Critics argue that law enforcement continues to use criminal proceedings to control assets and silence dissent.
- Selective Justice: The Institute for War and Peace Reporting notes systemic issues with judicial impartiality, especially in politically sensitive cases.
High-Profile Cases: A Pattern of Pressure
A series of high-profile cases reveals a troubling pattern of systemic corruption across Ukraine’s defense, medical, and administrative sectors—often tied directly or indirectly to the President’s Office.
- Defense Procurement Agency (DPA): Allegedly taken over by Andriy Yermak and Defense Minister Umerov, centralizing control of billions in military spending in what NGOs call “wartime asset capture.”
- Army Food Procurement Scandal: Five individuals were charged with inflating food prices for the military, with over $17 million embezzled. The case was exposed after a journalistic investigation into "$17 eggs."
- Serhiy Tarasov: An agribusinessman accused of land fraud who claims political persecution orchestrated by the President’s Office. His lawyers cite fabricated motions and the loss of political protection as evidence.
- Denys Yermak Case: A 2020 video showed Andriy Yermak’s brother allegedly discussing the sale of government posts. The case was quietly closed and transferred to the SBU, an agency under presidential influence.
Western Response and Systemic Patterns
International partners have taken notice. In 2025, the EU cut €1.45 billion in funding, citing “the most significant interference in the anti-corruption system since its inception.” Reports from The Economist and iNews UK point to a growing centralization of power and selective justice under Andriy Yermak’s influence.
This trend poses a serious threat to Ukraine’s democratic development and its credibility among international partners.