Russian engagement in and exploitation of corruption in Ukraine poses a threat not only to Ukraine but to other countries in Europe as well.
Without prioritizing corruption as the danger that it is, Europe will remain vulnerable to Russia’s malign operations. Exporting corruption to its neighboring region has been and continues to be a pillar of Moscow’s strategy to threaten some of the world’s strongest democracies.
Ukraine is actively working to tackle corruption at the highest levels – as illustrated by the case of Ukrainian presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, who resigned Nov. 28 after anti-corruption investigators’ search of his home made staying in his job untenable. While Yermak is innocent until proven guilty, his case proves that nobody in Ukraine, no matter their position, is immune from investigation.
Europe must follow suit, shutting the door on Russian corruption and disentangling itself from the Kremlin’s influence – to help restore long-term peace on the continent.
A new series co-authored by the George W. Bush Institute and the Center for the Study of Democracy highlights examples of how Russia uses corruption to undermine European stability. Of particular concern is Europe’s security sector, including the erosion of its judicial, legislative, military, and intelligence institutions.
From leveraging its abundant energy at discounted prices to allies to exploiting weak anti-money laundering laws, the Kremlin can capitalize on weaknesses in European laws to fragment European unity. These gaps span the spectrum, from trade to political financing laws, creating a holistic strategy that is difficult to detect without an equally holistic defense system.
To underscore the gravity of the threat, consider instances in which Moscow has successfully violated European security through corruption: financial support for separatists’ movements in Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova; money laundering scandals protecting Russian assets across various European financial institutions; and procuring sanctioned military equipment through front and shell companies established throughout the continent that end up on the frontlines against Ukraine.
Cases such as these aren’t mere coincidences but carefully forged networks intended to infringe on Europe’s integrity and security.
Without addressing the danger that Russian corruption creates, Europe risks enabling the Kremlin’s influence to grow throughout the EU, which acts as a bulwark for good governance.
Financial transparency laws and unfettered integration of European institutions are vital to address the Russian corruption challenge.
Opacity is the ally of corruption, and without confronting the support that it provides Moscow, it will continue to empower the Kremlin’s operatives. To neutralize the threat, governments must view corruption not just as a political problem, but as the manipulation and abuse of financial services that threaten the very integrity of their systems.
Therefore, across the EU, nations must consider the frameworks they have in place to tackle illicit finance. Without unbiased criticism of how each jurisdiction governs the intersection of finance and corruption, gaps will persist, as will the Russian threat to European security.
As a starting point, Europe must make anti-money laundering policy a central pillar of its economic security strategy. Beneficial ownership and foreign investment screening efforts must be consistent across the bloc, with priority on enforcement. The EU’s new Anti-Money Laundering Authority would be a good candidate to oversee the operations.
Other institutions should receive significant increases in financial and operational support to realize their full potential. Establishments such as the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and the European Anti-Fraud Office are well positioned to enforce sanctions and prosecute cases of illicit finance to protect the European market from unscrupulous entities.
Task forces comprising members of the anti-corruption and anti-money laundering communities from European agencies should be established to safeguard Europe’s political, judicial, and trade dimensions against illicit finance and corruption.
Lastly, by reconfiguring trade and investment patterns with allies, Europe can protect itself against coercive practices that leave EU members and neighboring nations vulnerable to extortion.
Ukrainians already understand that they can’t afford to let Russian corruption run rampant.
Russia both engages in corruption in Ukraine and exploits it to argue that Ukraine is a hopelessly corrupt country undeserving of Western support; Ukraine is neither hopelessly corrupt nor undeserving of support. Moscow backed and bankrolled former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych until he fled to Russia in 2014 seeking safe haven. Russian ties to Ukraine’s energy sector have for years corrupted Ukraine and left it dependent on its bigger neighbor.
The 2014 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine attempted to fix these problems in fits and starts. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 convinced Ukrainians that they needed to move more quickly to avert Russian efforts to weaken Ukrainian sovereignty. Corruption has plagued Ukraine for decades, but two independent ani-corruption agencies have shown promise in addressing this cancer, namely the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the National Agency on Corruption Prevention. Together, along with their Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Ukraine has launched over 300 investigations in cases of public corruption in the first half of 2025 alone.
The Yermak case – and $100 million in alleged kickbacks involving several top-level officials and others connected to Ukraine’s nuclear energy sector – also hammers home the point.
As Russia continues to bomb Ukrainian energy facilities, Ukraine cannot afford corruption in any sector, but especially in the one that tries to keep the lights and heat on.
Europe can’t afford it, either.
