All news

Ukrainian public activist criticises first 100 days of new government's work

Viktor Medvedchuk said old corruption schemes "have received new masters"
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk ITAR-TASS/Maxim Nikitin
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk
© ITAR-TASS/Maxim Nikitin

KIEV, March 12. /TASS/. Ukraine's government has achieved deplorable results over the first 100 days of its work, Ukrainian Choice public organization leader Viktor Medvedchuk wrote in his article posted on the organization’s website on Thursday.

"The so-called achievements of the government of [Arseniy] Yatsenyuk are obvious: inflation reached 24.9% in 2014 and accelerated to an annual 34.5% in February 2015," Medvedchuk said.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has admitted that "every fourth industrial enterprise in the country has come to a halt while 10% of industry is destroyed. Exports and imports are shrinking rapidly while wholesale and retail trade is falling over citizens’ sharp impoverishment," Medvedchuk said.

"Amid the economic collapse, the authorities have let the country’s state debt increase sharply [by 88.4% in 2014] and continue taking out unsustainable foreign loans. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s once strategic stock has left only memories: the gold and foreign exchange reserves have plummeted by 2.7 times," the Ukrainian Choice leader said.

The corruption rate has risen in the country, he said. "The scope of embezzlement in the higher echelons of power is amazing. The implementation of shadow schemes drains the budgets of all levels, inflicts millions in losses on the state in the banking sector, the oil and gas industry, the transport sphere and agriculture," he added.

Unfortunately, old corruption schemes "have received new masters. In 2014, a larger number of officials were found complicit in committing corruption and economic crimes than in the previous years of independence," Medvedchuk wrote.

The living standards in Ukraine have deteriorated under the new regime compared with the rule of former President Viktor Yanukovych, he said.

People have become "considerably poorer than a year ago when they stood on Maidan and listened to the words of Maidan leaders who promised Ukraine a successful and happy Euro-integrational future," the leader of the Ukrainian Choice public movement wrote.