crimes UA
Crime and corruption have increased dramatically in Ukraine over the past five years. As elsewhere in the former Soviet Union, the endemic corruption of the Soviet period have been replaced in Ukraine by organized crime and rampant corruption. Both threaten the country’s stability, undermine its transition to a market economy, deter foreign and domestic investment, and accelerate capital flight. The effect on the economy has been severe. After nearly six years of independence, total foreign investment in Ukraine is a paltry $1.4 billion, and some $15–$20 billion is believed to have left the country illegally, at least partly in response to corruption and organized crime. Many major multinational corporations have decided not to do business in Ukraine, the second most populous country in Europe.