Russia Matters, 9/21/26

Ukrainians find domestic corruption more damaging than Russian bombs: A corruption scandal involving Serhiy Kropyva, an official linked to Ukraine’s  ousted prosecutor general, has intensified Ukrainians’ anger during wartime, according to NYT. Anti-corruption investigators allegedly recorded Kropyva discussing kickbacks for protecting a phone-scam network. The revelations reportedly helped topple Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, but also deepened distrust in institutions. The scandal is damaging because Ukraine faces severe wartime funding shortages, connecting corruption to battlefield resilience and national survival, according to NYT. A 2025 summer Kyiv poll found that a majority of Ukrainians considered corruption more damaging to the country than Russian bombings.