A Good Idea?

Mukachevo, Ukraine May 12, 2015

This morning I was  reading a real newspaper, the old kind printed on paper, the Kyiv Post at a café table outside on a perfect Spring day at the center of the beautiful small city.of Mukachevo in Western Ukraine near the borders with Slovakia and Hungary. 

The newspaper  headline reads “Sanctions, Please!”, calling for sanctions against Ukraine’s corrupt elite.


It appears to me that Ukraine could be at a tipping point.  It could go either way. on corruption.

Corruption is the biggest problem Ukraine faces.  It's what the Maidan Revolution was all about along with the desire to become part of Europe and pull away from the influence of Russia.

The euphoria of success has, however, been replaced by disappointment that the new government which replaced the old corrupt one doesn’t seem much different. 

President Poroshenko who was regarded as someone whose great wealth could make him free to do the “right thing” has been a disappointment  and seems to be regarded now as more a part of the problem than the solution with his approval rating declining to below 20% after having been elected with 53% of the vote.



After reading the newspaper and drinking my Kava Latte, I decided to head up to the castle.  I hoped to see my painter friend from whom I bought two paintings last year which involved quite an adventure which I reported on a previous blog post.

One of the things I liked about the painter was he gave no recognition to the fact that my Ukrainian skills are marginal at best.  People react in different ways. Some will answer me in English if they can or if not will not attempt to communicate at all.  Others will make an effort to respond in Ukrainian.  

While the forth group to which he belongs will talk in Ukrainian to you totally ignoring your lack of comprehension  I was looking forward to “talking” with him and practicing my ever evolving (at a snail’s pace) skills. Alas he was not there.

So I proceeded up to the castle and there met a middle aged guy from Slovakia.  We must have talked for an hour.   He compares the Ukrainian situation to that of Czech and Slovakia.  He thinks Ukraine should break up and the East line up  with Russia and the West with Europe.  He says he has lots of good friends in Czech and they broke up quite peacefully and it has worked out fine.

Note: I’m not saying this is what I think, I’m just reporting what he said.

The Czech Slovakia breakup is referred to as the “velvet divorce”. Needless to say so far the conflict between the East and West of Ukraine has not been at all peaceful or “velvet”.

This man is here with a group from Slovakia to work with and help Ukraine and likes the Ukrainians very much and wants to help.  He said the Ukrainian elites are corrupt and keep everything for themselves and the people have very little.  Given its resources the country should be wealthy and the people economically well off.  I agree.


This city of Mukachevo, looks like a great place to live, very family oriented and peaceful. And yet last summer there was a shoot out in one of the cafes thought to be between rival smuggling gangs. I don’t know which café, but it’s quite likely it’s one I have frequented.

The governor of this Oblast (Province or State) – Transcarpathia in which Mukachevo is situated recently announced he is quitting. He’s throwing in the towel because he’s losing the battle against the smuggler gangs and rather than getting support from Kyiv he’s getting interference. 

His resignation follows that of other high level reformers almost on a monthly basis for the same reason - lack of support and opposition from the highest levels of the central government.

Is the situation hopeless?  Not so in my opinion.  The Ukrainian people are opposed to corruption and have demonstrated this with their revolution. And some good things have happened.

A new Police Patrol force was created with Western training and support with the approval rating of this once reviled institution soaring from just 19 percent to 60 percent.
And a new government procurement system has been created giving transparency to the government’s purchases a big part of the economy.

The Prime Minister and his cabinet have been replaced by a new government.  The signals as to what this means are at this point quite mixed.  
 
Last Spring I spent some time talking with some Canadians of Ukrainian descent whom I met at a concert in Lviv, Ukraine. They told me the big positive here is the increase in transparency. That is true.

Corruption may be flourishing but it’s in plain site and the people don’t accept it like they appear to in Russia.

Ukraine needs financing from the West and wants to join the EU.  So the West has the carrot and with the stick of sanctions. can play a critical role in determining a favorable outcome..

One of the proponents of sanctions is a former U.S.Ambassador to Ukraine while the current  U.S. Ambassador, a very outspoken diplomat has been silent on the issue at least publicly, which is to be expected.

It seems to me a bit unrealistic to expect the people to mount another revolution and fix things on their own after they’ve ended up so worse off economically after the last revolution whose success proved so fleeting.  .

Not our problem?  Like it or not we live in a interconnected world.  The West plays a key role in the future of Ukraine.  It’s choice it seems to me is either to enable or oppose corruption by providing or denying a haven for the corrupt elites and their finances. 

So it seems to me the decision for sanctions or the threat of sanctions is a no brainer.  Without the kinds of arguments that are made against actions like providing military weapons.

So that’s what I think.  What do you think?. Am I missing something here? Please feel free to let me know whether you agree or not.