In 2023, the value of gambling tax reached 263.2 million US dollars. According to the chairman of the Ukrainian Gambling Association, Anton Kuchukhidze, Ukraine’s gambling tax reached 300 million US dollars in 2023.

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AFP reported on Wednesday (24/4/2024), the late Sergeant Pravlo Petrychenko from the LIX Brigade was concerned about online gambling among soldiers. In March 2024, Petrychenko created a petition regarding online gambling addiction among Ukrainian soldiers. “For many people, gambling becomes the only stress reliever and therefore quickly becomes an addiction and weakens self-control,” he wrote in the petition.

Another problem that the man was worried about was that some online gambling pages were detected to originate from Russia. He is worried that data on soldiers who access online gambling sites could be collected by Russia. The data includes the location of the soldiers. “It could threaten national security,” said Petrychenko.

Kuchukhidze said there were 1,200 illegal gambling sites in Ukraine. Up to 400 of these pages were detected to be owned by Russians.

Therefore, Petrychenko is urging President Volodymyr Zelensky to ban online gambling ads that use the symbol of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Online gambling ads that claim donations are made to soldiers by the gambling service provider should also be prohibited.

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They called the contribution as a way to cover up their mistakes. “What is the meaning of 20 aid trucks compared to the profits of the dealers,” he wrote in the petition.

The petition was sent to the website of the Ukrainian President’s office. Of the minimum requirement of 2,500 supporters, the petition was supported by 26,000 people.

Therefore, Zelenskyy responded to it. “I have instructed the Special Communication Unit of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the National Security and Defense Council to investigate this issue and propose solutions,” said Zelenskyy on March 29, 2024.

A solution has not yet been realized when Petrychenko died in the battle in Donetsk. He was buried in Kyiv on April 19, 2024. One day after his funeral, Zelenskyy signed a decree to restrict online gambling.

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The decree, among other things, orders the commander of the armed forces to prohibit soldiers from accessing online gambling sites. Except during leave, soldiers are prohibited from entering casinos or other gambling establishments.

Spark debate

The Petrychenko petition is widely spread across Ukraine. It has sparked a debate about how to deal with stress for soldiers on the front lines. They are exhausted after two years of war and some have not seen anyone other than their fellow comrades on the front lines for a long time.

”This is a problem that destroys the morale of soldiers. “There have been many complaints from parents of soldiers and their wives who did not receive their salaries because they were used up for online gambling,” said Ukraine’s Deputy Veterans Minister Oksana Syvak.

He did not deny that the soldiers could be tired because of the prolonged war. “Now the war is entering its third year. People relieve stress with alcohol, drugs, drugs, and even gambling addiction. “Gambling was a temporary escape from the stress of war,” he said.

The spokesperson of Battalion Aidar, Ivan Zadontsev, revealed that one of their members won 1.5 million US dollars and then fled from the unit. Another member also won 120,000 hryvnias or about 63,000 US dollars. The money was immediately gambled again. “He believed he would win again. The money was all gone and only 400 hryvnias were left,” said Zadontsev.

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Actually, the salary of Ukrainian soldiers is relatively high compared to the average income of citizens. Currently, their average salary is 3,000 US dollars. “Perhaps the high salary makes them careless and wasteful,” said Zadontsev.

Member of Parliament Oleksiy Goncharenko claimed that nine out of 10 soldiers on the front lines are involved in online gambling. Many personal testimonies tell of family destruction caused by a soldier addicted to online gambling.

Meanwhile, Kuchukhidze stated that there is no data on the number of soldiers accessing online gambling sites. “If they are in the protective trench, of course, they cannot engage in online gambling. There is no mobile phone network on the front lines. The Starlink satellite is only used for unmanned aircraft and intelligence. It is not possible to use it for online gambling,” he said.

Despite this, it is also possible that there are stubborn soldiers secretly using their phones on the front lines. Russia has indirectly admitted several times that they can track the position of Ukrainian soldiers because of their phone signals.

Misappropriation of assets

Petrychenko stated that gambling not only makes soldiers operate their phones on the front lines, but some even sell various combat equipment to fund their gambling addiction. There are soldiers selling unmanned aircraft. Others are selling night vision goggles.

This act is only part of the misuse of state assets that is endemic in Ukraine. Ukraine’s corruption eradication agency, NABU, continues to arrest looters of the country’s assets.

On Wednesday (23/4/2024), NABU accused Minister of Agriculture Mykola Solskyi of illegally acquiring state-owned land. The value of the land is 7.3 million US dollars. According to Kyiv Independent, NABU also found evidence that Solskyi attempted to acquire another piece of land worth 4.8 million US dollars.

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Solskyi admitted to being targeted by NABU. “I guarantee full transparency for the sake of truth. All data is open to law enforcement,” he said as quoted by Kyiv Independent and Ukrainska Pravda.

NABU also arrested the Chairman of the Supreme Court, Vsevolod Kniaziev, for accepting a bribe of 2.7 million US dollars. Kniaziev was suspended from his duties since legal proceedings began a year ago. Until now, although not detained, he is prohibited from performing his duties.

NABU, among others, is still detaining Artem Shylo, former special staff of Zelenskyy. Shylo, according to Ukrainska Pravda, is accused of embezzling 770,000 US dollars in a fictitious project related to trains. Along with other suspects, he looted a total of 2.4 million US dollars.

Ironically, he collaborated with people from Belarus and Russia in the looting. Meanwhile, Ukraine is in conflict with Russia, aided by Belarus. (AFP/REUTERS)