The founder of Ukraїner, journalist and traveller Bohdan Logvynenko told journalist Anastasia Bagalika about the bribery culture in Ukraine, the post-war tourism boom and the greatest danger after the war for online.ua.
The culture of bribery is passed on to children by parents
We are talking about the role of a person who makes a decision for himself: to give or not to give a bribe. That is, a person decides to give not only when he faces some obstacles but also when he wants to get help or get some quality service. Often, a person does not even realize in the process what it results in.
Yes. And besides, this is a service that is not insured. If the service is provided officially through the cash register, then no matter what happens, there is a guarantee that this service must be performed. If money is given simply in a pocket, in an envelope, or in a book, then this is a service that may not be provided, in fact.
It seems to me that even now there are some places where people still go with candy [kind of bribe - Ed.] despite the medical reform. The contingent did not change; the people remained the same. Despite the fact that you make an appointment with the doctor on your smartphone, you still have to go with candy according to the old habits.
To be honest, I am afraid of public medical facilities.
I just don't know how to give bribes. I didn't do that.
So I choose private [clinic - Ed.], even if it is more expensive because I know how this system works. They gave you a check - you went and paid, and that's it.
Yes, somewhere it costs more, somewhere you could get these services for free. But even with a family doctor, I have a declaration signed in a private clinic, where they will clearly tell me what is included in the price of the family doctor's service, what the state pays for, and what is beyond these limits.
It is very transparent, and honest, and you will see what has been added to this check.
Because they will talk about it, and it often happens that they don't talk about it.
And the rest is a culture of bribery.
That is, you have to understand it yourself, your parents have to pass it on to you, and your parents know how to show it: you come, you put money there, you do it somehow. Luckily I wasn't shown that, so I don't know.
Read the first part of the interview with Bohdan Logvinenko: Most people after de-occupation live with huge psychological problems, — Bohdan Logvinenko
Ukraine is expecting a tourism boom after the war
In 2016, I did a campaign called “No visa to Ukraine”.
Gathered a small team of people. We realized that there is a huge injustice towards foreigners entering Ukraine. At that time, a visa to Ukraine was very expensive. It was impossible to get it online, and it was impossible to get it on arrival.
We then analyzed a bunch of consulates and how they issue these visas, which they have violations.
Then [we] made such a plan, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already fulfilled by about 95%. However, when we came to present this plan to them, they told us that it was impossible. Everything is impossible. It will never happen. And now it is almost all in action.
It is not so relevant at the moment, but as soon as we win and Ukraine becomes a leading tourist country because a lot of people will come here to look at all these places where hostilities took place, we will already have experience behind us.
Bohdan Logvynenko with the Ukraїner team in Kupyansk [Kharkiv region - Ed.], September 15, 2022 (photo: facebook.com/logvynenko)
That is, we already have a working system of entry into Ukraine, which does not require Nigerian citizens to pay, for example, a $5,000 bribe to enter our country. And at that time, in 2016, there were such things.
Will integrity become a part of life for most Ukrainians?
Before the full-scale invasion, such initiatives and such things about the fact that something needs to be changed point by point, in order for our society to become virtuous and transparent, were characteristic of the category we call the active part of society. Do you think that after the war we have a chance to expand this category? And so that, in particular, will integrity become something normal for most people?
This category will never become 100 or 50 percent. This active minority is always a minority.
Therefore, maybe a few percent will be added there. But, firstly, this active minority will be much more militant and part of it will be armed.
Therefore, I simply do not advise anyone to take bribes and ask for them.
Secondly, after the victory over Russia, we are unlikely to be afraid of any internal enemy. Therefore, this should also be taken into account.
Bohdan Logvynenko in Vovchansk [Kharkiv region - Ed.], October 16, 2022 (photo: facebook.com/logvynenko)
But the majority becomes active only at certain critical moments.
For example, there is some injustice in the judicial system. Like Pavlichenko’s case [a father and son were accused of murdering a judge in 2011, which they didn’t commit - Ed]? We even forgot about it already - it was once, in a past life. For example, in the Sternenko case [In 2018, a third attempt was made on Sternenko, during which he fatally wounded one of the attackers. The activist declared self-defence, but the investigation considered his actions as murder — ed.], or some other similar high-profile cases.
This active minority is increasing because it is something that resonates very quickly.
But the fight against corruption is slow, like weeding. Reforming the police and recruiting tens of thousands of new people is a few days.
And we now understand that we have only partially reformed the police. And the office in Kagarlyk [A city in Kyiv region, where police officers tortured and raped a 27-year-old woman at the police department — Ed], and all the other stories — it still needs to be reformed, but only an active minority will be able to do it.
Unfortunately, we can't wait until new “clumps” appear. We need to do it proactively and quickly on all this nationwide elevation.
Here we will have some time gap again.
Yes, of course.
That time after the victory will be challenging. There will be quite a few people who will want to share everything quickly.
There are people who already want to share the Dovzhenko Center, State Cinema. These are examples of completely rotten systems. Not the Dovzhenko Center, but those who are trying to raid it.
And there are people who believe that now they can quickly “solve” everything behind the curtain. But I think that will not happen. Or it will happen with very sad consequences for them.
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