Description

I am delighted to welcome Andrii Biletskyi, the Administrative Director of the Anti-Corruption Research and Education Centre of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla academy. He is also a member of the supervisory board of TI Ukraine. During his PhD thesis, Andrii looked at how civil society is engaged in anti-corruption. In Ukraine, civil society mobilises in various ways, notably through civic control councils (2:08). Civic control councils are established within institutions. They have the power to control the activities of the authorities (7:25). In Ukraine, you can also find integrity councils whose role is to ensure that the right people are recruited in leadership positions (9:42). Andrii then explains what the main risks of corruption are (13:04). For Andrii, there is no more corruption than in any other country. However, with the war, new opportunities for corruption have arisen (16:15). Corruption has a real impact on the lives of citizens (17:14). Soldiers, for example, receive poor-quality weapons or food. Andrii recounts how young people mobilised in July against a reform that would have undermined the independence of the anti-corruption agency (NABU) and the anti-corruptionprosecutor's office (SAPO) (19:40). Thanks to their mobilisation, the government reversed the reform, but with one significant detail (22:28). Andrii reminds us that continuing to fight corruption in times of war is not easy, butit is a necessity (29:18). Andrii concludes this exchange by telling us how training and education play an essential role (33:07).

References:

-       ACREC’s website

-       Integrity Councils in Ukraine: Lessons learned (2025)

-       Ukraine’s anti-corruption drama: a (temporary) victory, but the battle is far from over (2025)

Credits:

Sophie au pays des possibles is a podcast created, directed, and produced by Sophie Lemaître. This episode was recorded online in August 2025. Podcast illustration and music by Fabien Doulut. Editing by Manuel Perreux for the English version and Sophie Lemaître for the French version.