The fight against crime in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

is led by the Ukrainian Police and certain other agencies. Due to the hard economic situation in the 1990s, the crime rate rose steadily to a peak in 2000. Following this peak, the crime rate declined, until 2009. In that year, the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

reached Ukraine. In 2017, the situation with regard to crime started to improve. The preliminary crime data for 2020 are the lowest in a decade.

Statistics

Comparison of major crime indicators per 100 000 population, 2019.

Crime by type

Murder

In 2010, Ukraine had a murder rate of 4.3 per 100,000 of population. There were a total of 1,988 murders in Ukraine in 2010.''Global Study on Homicide''. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013.
/ref> In 2017, 0.3% of Ukrainian crime was homicide.

UNIAN The Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News () is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business and financial information, and a photo reporting service. As of October 2022, it was the most v ...

(29 December 2017) In 2016 the Ukrainian police investigated 1,707 murders and, in 2017, 1,397.

Corruption

Corruption is a widespread and growing problem in Ukrainian society. In 2014's

Transparency International Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil s ...

Corruption Perceptions Index The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index that scores and ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as assessed by experts and business executives. The CPI generally defines corruption as an "abuse of entr ...

, Ukraine was ranked 142nd out of the 175 countries investigated (tied with

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

and the Comoros). Bribes are given to ensure that public services are delivered either in time or at all.Corruption, Democracy, and Investment in Ukraine
,

Atlantic Council The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...

(October 2007) Ukrainians have stated they give bribes because they think it is customary and expected.Press release
, 10th International Anti-Corruption Conference (2001) According to a 2008 Management Systems International (MSI) sociological survey, the highest corruption levels were found in vehicle inspection (57.5%), the police (54.2%), health care (54%), the courts (49%) and higher education (43.6%).
Global Corruption Report 2008
'',

, Chapter 7.4, p. 280. On 8 June 2011, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych stated that corruption costs the state budget 2.5 billion in revenues annually and that, through corrupt dealings in public procurement, 10 to 15% (US$7.4 billion) of the state budget "ends up in the pockets of officials."Under Yanukovych, Ukraine slides deeper in ranks of corrupt nations
Kyiv Post (1 December 2011) According to the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 1961 and reorganized in 1998 ...

(USAID), the main causes of corruption in Ukraine are a weak justice system and an over-controlling, non-transparent government combined with business-political ties and a weak

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.CORRUPTION ASSESSMENT: UKRAINE

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

(10 February 2006) Corruption is regularly discussed in the Ukrainian media.Corruption Plague
''Kyiv Post'' (25 June 2009). In May 2018, Estonian President

Kersti Kaljulaid Kersti Kaljulaid (; born 30 December 1969) is an Estonia, Estonian politician who served as the fifth president of Estonia between 2016 and 2021, and was its first and only female head of state since the country declared independence in 1918. S ...

stated that corruption is the primary factor holding back the development of Ukraine and that it can only be resolved with a strong political will, after a meeting with the head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), Artem Sytnyk.

Theft

Investigative activities at crime cite in Kiev

In 2017, the main segment of crime was theft, representing a 52% proportion of the total crimes in Ukraine.

Terrorism

According to official statistics there were 126 acts of terror on Ukrainian soil every month in 2014, 108 in 2015, 155 in 2016 and 124 in 2017. From 2014 until late 2017, 5,804 criminal cases were registered as 'acts of terror', or 129 terrorist attacks per month, on average. In this time-frame, 15 persons were convicted on charges of terrorism.Analysts on terrorist attacks in Ukraine: Fewer but more violent and symbolic

(28 December 2017)

References

External links

{{Crime in Europe