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| The New York Times, Feb. 26, 2017. who guaranteed his party’s good fortunes at the polls were especially well compensated. 410 Corruption is now seen in many circles as a threat to Ukraine’s national security, and the country’s civil society and the current government have developed several important anti-corruption measures, building the resilience of their institutions to defend against malign Russian government influence. Ukrainian civil society has established the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), which has courageously uncovered cases of high-level corruption despite mounting pressure by the authorities. 411 And under substantial pressure from donors, the Ukrainian government has also taken important reform steps it removed a controversial Prosecutor General who was accused of protecting corrupt actors in the country it introduced transparency measures like an e-declaration system for public officials to report their assets, and it established investigatory bodies like the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). But few high-level prosecutions have taken place, calling into question the government’s political will to pursue genuine re- form. 412 Moreover, institutions like NABU have come under increased pressure. In December 2017, the General Prosecutor’s office was accused of unmasking a NABU investigation and some NABU officials were arrested. In response, the US. State Department said, These actions . . . undermine public trust and risk eroding international support for Ukraine.’’ 413 Until Ukrainian institutions, especially the judiciary, prove capable of prosecuting senior level officials from the former and current regime, the country will remain severely exposed and vulnerable to the Kremlin’s interference in their country’s affairs. The military conflict in Ukraine grinds on and the Russian governments asymmetric arsenal seeks to damage Ukraine in other ways. But despite the overwhelming pressure from its more powerful neighbor, Ukraine has proven remarkably resilient with help from friends in the international community. Ukraine is ground zero for Russian government aggression and deserves continued support. This support, however, is a two-way street. Oksana Syroyid, a deputy speaker of Ukraine’s Parliament Ukraine said in 2017 that Ukraine had become a testing ground fora lot of Russia s evil strategies and that unfortunately, we have to put up with this. Ukraine’s experience can be used by Europe and America to understand the real Russian threat.’’ 414 The deputy speaker is right—despite the significant challenges remaining in Ukraine, the country has many valuable lessons learned since 2014. While Ukraine is the main laboratory for Russian aggression abroad, it is also generating some of the most effective responses, through collaborations between the Ukrainian government and civil society, along with partners in the international community. The United States should proactively work with Ukraine to docu- VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:06 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt PO 00000 Frm 00076 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 S:\FULL COMMITTEE\HEARING FILES\COMMITTEE PRINT 2018\HENRY\JAN. 9 REPORT FOREI-42327 with DISTILLER 71 ment and disseminate these lessons to other democracies facing the asymmetric arsenal. Lessons Learned • Cybersecurity Cooperation Can Reap Benefits for the United States: The Russian cyber assault on Ukraine has been relentless and multifaceted since 2014. Ukraine is where the Russian government experiments and sees what can work. The United States and others in the international community have taken steps to help Ukraine build its defenses, but this cooperation can also offer insight into how the Russian government conducts these operations and thus provide a forecast for the types of attacks we will see in the future. Cooperation with Ukraine to counter these threats is a critically important element of building the United States defenses. • Countering Disinformation Begins with Awareness Civil society organizations like StopFake have led the way in developing innovative techniques to dispel lies in the media, which has in turn helped to build resilience and skepticism within the Ukrainian population. This critical thinking ability is the first step towards blunting the effect of lies from Moscow. NGOs invulnerable countries should look to StopFake as a model, not only for the effectiveness of its techniques, but the courage of its staff. • Civil Society Matters Since the 2014 Euromaidan demonstrations, civil society organizations in Ukraine have played a key watchdog role in holding the government accountable and calling for reform. This pressure from the Ukrainian people, channeled through these groups has led to concrete reforms, particularly in building anti-corruption institutions. International efforts to support civil society in Ukraine are critical even though they have grown in strength and effectiveness, these groups still face pressure from anti-reform elements in the country. • Corruption is Russia’s Best Weapon in Ukraine The best defense against the Russian government’s asymmetric arsenal in Ukraine, and indeed across Europe, is the existence of durable democratic institutions that are less susceptible to corruption. While the Ukrainian government has established credible anti- corruption institutions, resistance to genuine reform remains very strong and Ukraine has yet to embark on significant efforts to prosecute some of the country’s most egregious corrupt actors. Until Ukraine shows the political will to confront corruption, the country will remain dangerously vulnerable to Russian aggression. • High Level US. Engagement is Key The Obama Administration, primarily through former Vice President Joe Biden’s personal engagement, was instrumental in pressuring the Ukrainian government to reform despite the attendant political difficulties in making such decisions. This approach garnered results, but sustainable progress can only come with consistent engagement and pressure from the United States. VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:06 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt PO 00000 Frm 00077 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 S:\FULL COMMITTEE\HEARING FILES\COMMITTEE PRINT 2018\HENRY\JAN. 9 REPORT FOREI-42327 with DISTILLER 72 The Minsk Agreements were negotiated by Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine in talks in Minsk, Belarus in February 2015, under auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). They are comprised of a point plan for resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, including a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front lines, to be monitored by the OSCE. The Agreements were concluded after the collapse of a ceasefire previously negotiated in Minsk (the Minsk Protocol) in September 2014; the terms have yet to be fulfilled. Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, PL. 115-44, Enacted Aug. 2, 2017 (originally introduced by Senator Ben Cardin as the Counteracting Russian Hostilities Act of 2017, S. 94, January 11, 2017). • Sanctions Pressure Has Been Insufficient U.S. and EU sanctions have not resulted in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements nor the return of Crimea to Ukrainian control. 415 The Russian government appears to have been able to resist this pressure because the cost imposed by sanctions has been manageable. In order to achieve the desired outcomes of the Minsk Agreements and return Crimea to Ukrainian control, the US. government should significantly increase pressure and use the mandates and authorities outlined in the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) to ramp up sanctions on pro-Kremlin entities, in concert with the European Union. 416 VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:06 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 S:\FULL COMMITTEE\HEARING FILES\COMMITTEE PRINT 2018\HENRY\JAN. 9 REPORT FOREI-42327 with DISTILLER |