Buying eggs and pickles for Ukrainian soldiers defending their country amid the carnage caused by the Russian invasion is not the biggest problem facing President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, recent reports that officials in his government are cashing in on the wildly inflated prices of these goods have provided a useful reminder to both the Ukrainian leader and the public that Russian President Vladimir Putin's imperial ambitions are not the only danger facing him.. Another threat is the threat of a scandal or misuse of funds, in particular, the billions of dollars of Western aid that allowed Ukraine to defend itself and the solid support of Kyiv from the US and Europe.. The Washington Post writes about it..

The corruption scandal that broke out in late January gained momentum: 10 high-ranking officials were fired or forced to resign, including the deputy head of the presidential administration. Separately, authorities raided the property of a media mogul who was a key sponsor of Zelensky’s 2019 presidential campaign [Igor Kolomoisky – ed..

Not all likely abuses stem from the initial news that the Deputy Secretary of Defense was involved in a food overpayment scheme to feed the military. Other reports spoke of a senior official in the President's office using an SUV donated by General Motors to help evacuate Ukrainian civilians, and Deputy Prosecutor Oleksiy Symonenko - ed.. wealthy businessman to take his family on holiday to Spain. Both have lost their jobs, and the government has banned officials from traveling outside the country except on a business trip, under martial law that has been in place since the start of the war..

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There was no suggestion that Western military aid to Ukraine was appropriated. But Zelenskiy is astute enough not to ignore the bribery, bargaining and remnants of oligarchic capitalism that have been a stain on the country’s reputation long before Moscow launched a full-scale invasion.. In Transparency International's latest 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, Ukraine ranked 116 out of 180 countries – an improvement over the previous year, but still second in Eastern Europe, behind only Russia. On Capitol Hill, where some Republicans in Congress are threatening to question aid to Ukraine, Kyiv should expect lawmakers to demand accountability for funds coming from Washington..

Admittedly, the economic distortions and drain on Ukraine's resources caused by billionaire oligarchs who control TV stations, industry and more have been curbed.. This was partly due to the war itself, as Russian attacks over the past year have wiped out much of Ukraine's industrial base.. The impetus was also a law to limit the political influence of oligarchs, adopted in 2021 to fulfill Zelensky’s campaign promise to root out corruption and influence peddling..

This is a step in the right direction, which not least contributes to Ukraine's aspirations for membership in the European Union, for which it became an official candidate last year.. But even if the war ends soon, which is unlikely, Kiev will have to go through a long road of reform before it can join the EU, where it will be the poorest member state, and become the fully European country that most Ukrainians want their country to be..

Ukraine has made some progress in the field of transparency, especially in tracking and accounting for external economic and military assistance.. The country has also developed an active civil society - a network of citizen-led non-governmental organizations and associations that infuse a healthy democracy with pluralism, participation and political energy.. However, it has largely failed to create a system that would guarantee the rule of law, a key shortcoming in overcoming its Soviet legacy..

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The central problem is the resistance to judicial reform on the part of Ukrainian judges, whom Western experts have repeatedly called corrupt, overtly politicized and dependent on Russia.. Last fall, Ukraine's Supreme Court fired a senior judge at the Cassation Economic Court, the country's highest court that hears economic and property disputes, after it was revealed he had Russian and Ukrainian citizenship.. According to Ukrainian law, judges are not allowed to have dual citizenship.

A large international conference of donor countries devoted to assistance to Ukraine, held last summer, ended with a statement calling for " External experts have proposed a number of reforms, in particular the testing of judicial candidates for competence, virtue and political independence..

Zelensky was a supporter of judicial reform, but he lacks the authority to implement it.

The push, if it takes place, should come from Ukraine's Western allies, whose influence is huge, but who may not want to be distracted from the main international priority - helping Ukraine fight the war..

Perhaps the country struggling for its survival is in a bad position and is too far away from implementing systemic reforms.. But the day of reckoning in Ukraine cannot be postponed indefinitely. Kyiv's own aspirations depend on establishing the rule of law. He has work to do.