Article for Realclearworld

“Just as noxious as the separatists, economic devastation and worsening corruption threaten the health of our country. The most effective rebuke of Ukraine's aggressors would be for all sides of the political divide within the country to work together toward democratic stability,” the politician wrote.

According to him, after the Maidan protests, when Ukrainians got annexation and war instead of accession to the EU, the lack of confidence in the government is particularly acute. Meanwhile, the government, according to Serhiy Lovochkin, instead of politically motivated persecution and lustration of former government officials, who are usually innocent, should work with them to implement effective reforms.

In his article Serhiy Liovochkin emphasized that the level of corruption has not gone down over the last year, while the much needed reforms are stalling. “The state financial inspector recently reported to Ukraine's parliament that members of the current government may have defrauded the country of hundreds of millions of dollars,” the politician pointed out. He also added that Ukraine is facing rampant political persecution: in the last two weeks, three former members of parliament from the former ruling party have committed suicide in the face of pressure from authorities.

In his article the policy maker stressed need to preserve the cease-fire and the cessation of all kinds of combat. According to the member of parliament, despite daily ceasefire violations, full-scale military warfare has abated. But, according to Serhiy Lovochkin, it may start again, as the situation is as precarious as ever.

“The Second Minsk Agreement calls for constitutional reform, and this could be a way to reform the state, decentralize the government, create new incentives for development outside of Kiev, and develop mechanisms to root out corruption in our country,” the member of parliament stated. In his opinion, an amended Constitution could create a better system - one that would protect all Ukrainians and create a new system of checks and balances.

Serhiy Lovochkin also mentioned the situation around the Inter TV station in his article, whose signal is intermittently blocked during its news broadcasts, and the regulator threatens to revoke the channel's license on the specious basis that a popular holiday program included Russian showmen.

Serhiy Lovochkin also expressed confidence that today the government had to come to an agreement that would fully meet the expectations of the people of Ukraine, in the best interests of our citizens who live in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. “By showing that we're in this together, that we are driving our own economic reform - as  opposed to hoping others will do it for us - we create the best chance to defend ourselves as a united Ukraine,” the MP wrote in his article.