Ukraine has over 3,100 state-owned enterprises, but only one in seven is profitable. The rest are either unprofitable, non-operational, or don’t report at all. Total debt: over UAH 912.8 billion. Add to that 14,000+ municipal enterprises, many of which are also subsidized or operating at a loss.
The causes are well known: opaque procurement schemes, shell companies, and strategic bankruptcies ahead of “convenient” privatizations.
The takeaway: Instead of maintaining dead assets at taxpayers’ expense, the state should focus on what really matters — fair rules, safety, and property rights.
Privatization is a pathway to efficiency, investment, and freeing the economy from corrupt control.
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