Currently, Russian propaganda media say that the Russian army has reached the border of the Dnipro region, which is also the native land of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Whether this is true or not remains a big question, but one thing is clear –– due to widespread corruption in Dnipro, the defence of the strategically important region for Ukraine is bursting at the seams. And this is not Russian propaganda, unfortunately. The main danger is the Pokrovsk front, as the fall of the city of Pokrovsk will lead to complete disruption of logistics support for the southern grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and the entry of Russian troops into Dnipro region without any resistance.
In an interview with the Ukrainian media outlet “Dnepr.Express”, the battalion commander of unmanned systems with the call sign “Condor” sharply criticized the fortifications near the border of the Dnipro region. He said that facilities designed to stop the enemy are being built at the Pokrovsk front “according to the old manuals of the Soviet Union”, in other words, according to outdated standards. “Condor” also noticed: “Now, the authorities are trying to listen to the military and build fortifications with the correct quality and size. However, there aren’t yet enough people to maintain these structures.”
The answer to why this happens lies on the surface. The thing is that the person responsible for the defence of the region is none other than Serhiy Lysak, the head of the Dnipro Regional Military Administration. He is followed by a long trail of corrupt scandals and numerous shady deals.
It’s worth recalling that the British newspaper “Financial Times” stated that in 2024 the Dnipro region spent more than $7 million on the construction of defensive fortifications. However, “the invested money didn’t add much value.” “The situation with the fortifications is a demoralizing factor for the troops,” former Verkhovna Rada Chairman Dmytro Razumkov told FT. Official Kyiv had to send a special commission to Dnipro, whose representative, Andriy Bogdanets, had only to put a good face in a bad situation: “We must show our international partners that we do not support this corruption. The fortifications are about saving the lives of our soldiers, first and foremost. And if there aren’t any of them, then it’s terrible…”
The Ukrainian website “Sich” also reports on another corruption scandal –– “under the protection of Serhiy Lysak.” Not long ago, a trial of a criminal group that organized a scheme to embezzle budget funds on a large scale began in the Dnipro region. It’s about high-ranking officials of the Department of Public Order and Civil Protection of the Dnipro City Council led by Oleksandr Chudnovsky, who is already a former head of this department. Let us recall: in autumn 2024, four employees of Dnipro City Council were arrested for embezzling 10.5 million hryvnias ($253 thousand) during purchases for the AFU. According to investigators, officials were buying military equipment at 30% above the market value and pocketing the difference.
At this background, the “Sich” media outlet clarifies that the mayor of the Dnipro city, Borys Filatov, has “already begun corrupt expansion in the Kharkiv region.” This is because the head of the Dnipro Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Lysak, does not allow the Dnipro mayor, Borys Filatov to “eat from his own pie,” and Filatov has to “earn” money in a neighbouring Kharkiv region where the Russian army also close to break through the defence.
And now, dear reader, you can answer for yourself why the defence of the Dnipro and Kharkiv regions are falling like a card house despite the footage of strengthening combat positions being shown on TV every day. Because Ukrainian corruption is hitting harder than Russian drones.