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Letters  

Response to proof request

Re. Gary Lynch’s letter Ukraine needs assistance (Castanet, Jan. 31)

Gary Lynch asks me “where do you get the information on how corrupt the Ukrainian government is?

A good source is the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper, a fairly reliable, if left-leaning, mainstream media source. In 2015, it published an article titled "Welcome to Ukraine, the most corrupt nation in Europe". A more recent article, from January 2023, is titled "Ukraine is locked in a war with corruption."

The same media outlet, on Feb. 1, published an article titled "Head of Kyiv tax authority accused of multimillion-dollar fraud." It is a great read because it also covers the raid on Igor Kolomoisly, who was one of (Ukrainian President) Volodymyr Zelenskyy's key sponsors and a formerly strong ally.

If you want a resource closer to home, try the CBC. In 2016 it published a story titled "Ukraine's corruption continues to cost the country dearly".

All this information is freely available to search and digest. Of course, I advise anyone to review information with an open objective perspective.

The crackdown on corruption and the comments made by the government of Ukraine reflect the reality that corruption is widespread and involves massive sums of money.

On the back of this, it is not surprising the European Union is now putting the brakes on Ukraine's request to join it.

We know from previous media coverage that weapons destined for Ukraine ended up in the hands of terrorist groups in Nigeria. So how can we be sure money, weapons, and other aid provided by governments, NGOs and donations made by well-intentioned members of the public can be provided with full trust in the Ukrainian government to distribute them appropriately?

That question is answered by the EU's reluctance to embrace Ukraine as a new member.

When the world is not quite as you think you see it, or as you are told it is, the reality can be somewhat discomforting.

Keep an open mind, and remain inquisitive.

Ricky Daytona, West Kelowna



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