"There used to be a lot of money": Kim compared corruption in government then and now

The head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitaliy Kim, said that the situation with corruption at the state level in Ukraine has changed significantly over the past 10 years. According to him, officials increasingly face a new reality: there is less money in power, and the risks of accountability – are much greater.

Vitaliy Kim said this in an interview with “Ukrainian News”, answering a question about corruption at the state level.

The head of the region explained that previously there was a noticeable imbalance in the system of power: officials had many opportunities but much less risk of receiving real punishment. Now, he said, the situation has been changed by anti-corruption bodies, journalistic investigations, electronic declarations and overall public oversight.

“Now people who go into power say – there used to be a lot of money and little responsibility, but now there is less and less money, almost none, and responsibility is growing and growing. Because anti-corruption bodies and institutions have been built (journalists, investigations, declarations). Everyone has already forgotten that 5 years ago or 10 years ago a member of parliament was almost a sacred cow. And now they are ordinary people, as they should be in a European state. Unfortunately, everyone very quickly forgets how it used to be”.

At the same time, Vitaliy Kim admitted that anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine are still not perfect. But, in his opinion, the important thing is that the control instruments themselves have already been created and continue to develop. He emphasized that officials are gradually forming an understanding that dishonest public service increasingly ends with cases, convictions and public exposure.

“Yes, our anti-corruption bodies are imperfect, but they are also developing. The instruments have been created. And more and more there is an understanding – if you are dishonest, you have no place in public service, because the inevitability of accountability will reach everyone”.

Separately, the head of the Mykolaiv RMA cited examples that, in his view, demonstrate the system’s change over the last 10 years. Among them he mentioned the case of the former head of the Supreme Court, Vsevolod Knyazev, who, according to Kim, is a native of Mykolaiv, as well as the sentence of a former prosecutor of the Mykolaiv region in a case of state treason.

“My assessment: everything has changed a lot over 10 years and continues to change. You simply cannot do it in one day. We never imprisoned a Supreme Court judge. We did not have life sentences for prosecutors. Specific examples: Knyazev, he is from Mykolaiv, he studied a class ahead of me at my school. The prosecutor of Mykolaiv region, the first deputy – got life for treason”.

After that, the journalist recalled the high-profile case of Vsevolod Knyazev and asked a question that sounds painful to many Ukrainians: why, for the largest bribe in history, the former head of the Supreme Court received 5 years, while for stealing a sausage a person can get 8 years in prison.

In response, Vitaliy Kim said that justice in such cases, in his view, should be judged not only by one person’s prison term but also by whether their testimony helps bring other figures to justice.

“I think it should be evaluated by the total years of imprisonment. Because if he wrote 500 pages of testimony on everyone-everyone-everyone, they will all be jailed and the total will probably amount to about 100 years. I believe that would be fair”.

In fact, Vitaliy Kim tied justice in the Knyazev case not only to his personal sentence but also to possible subsequent convictions for other officials, if the testimony truly becomes the basis for new cases.

However, for society the question remains acute: when minor crimes can be punished harshly while figures in major corruption cases receive shorter terms, people naturally doubt whether justice works equally for ordinary citizens and for members of the ruling elite.

Against the backdrop of war, constant losses, and a lack of funds for defense and recovery, such statements sound especially sensitive. Ukrainians expect from the state not only high-profile cases but real results: the return of stolen funds, the imprisonment of the guilty and equal rules for everyone – regardless of position, connections or surname.

Previously we wrote:

• 10% for each repair: Mykolaiv police detained two officials from Kherson on a “kickback”
• While the investigation continues: suspected officials of Mykolaiv region declare millions and luxury cars
• In Mykolaiv another TCC fighter was detained after receiving a bribe: for $600 he promised to remove from the wanted list
• Over UAH 700 million in state losses and asset laundering: NABU and SAP investigation is gaining momentum
• 57% for Zelensky’s resignation: Mykolaiv residents demand accountability for corruption during the war