According to the independent Ukrainian media outlet Euromaidan, which has analyzed Russian society, this evil is a widespread corruption.
For Oleksiy Zagorodnyuk, an independent researcher on Russian war economy:
“Endemic corruption has been a dominant factor in Russia’s losses. The exclusive hierarchical structure of the Russian military, which is subordinate to the head of state and subject to little or no external control, fosters widespread corruption.”
Also according to Euromaidan, the Russian elite often views conflicts led by Moscow as opportunities for personal enrichment. This mindset leads to inefficiency, overconfidence, and corruption, which translates into poor military performance, and may partly explain the total failure of the blitzkrieg that Russia thought it was waging in Ukraine.
For example, since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, a particularly glaring problem has been the provision of poor quality equipment to Russian soldiers.
Reports suggest that troops were issued with decommissioned and unusable body armor, likely due to corruption in the procurement process. Some soldiers even had to buy their own basic supplies, including boots, medical kits, and food.
These logistical shortcomings are largely attributed to corruption and the misappropriation of military funds.
Oleksiy Zagorodnyuk concludes:
“The Russian disease of corruption is not a contemporary phenomenon, its roots go back centuries.”
