Property crimes in Ukraine (2013 – 2022)

A year ago, many people tried to restore law and order in their local areas by imposing corporal punishment on looters. They argued that there was a war going on and these people were profiteering from it. Many people supported these methods, and, importantly, many of them were lawyers.

Almost a year has passed, and statistics – whatever they may be – have shown that, as it turns out, the problem of Ukrainian society during the war lay elsewhere entirely, and official statistics convincingly prove the problem of the moral and ethical foundations of Ukrainian society: which actions during the war are less likely to be committed by individuals belonging to criminalised segments of the population, and which are more likely to be committed by those who are considered less prone to crime due to their higher education and greater social adaptability.

This trend is partly confirmed by recent corruption scandals at the highest levels of government, which prove that war is by no means a guarantee that the quasi-elites will understand the problems of society, where the moral requirement of the ‘law of the jungle during a drought’ comes to the fore.

Be that as it may, the statistics for 2022 showed a violation of the ‘water truce in our jungle’, namely:

1. A significant decrease in theft (although, on the other hand, the trend towards a decrease in theft existed even before the war began).
2. An explosive increase in cases of fraud of all categories.
3. A sharp decline in real estate fraud, which can be explained by the impact of the war on the real estate market.
4. An increase in fraud – both misdemeanours and crimes.

I can assume that a large proportion of these cases are related to volunteer activities, but this still needs to be proven.

A year ago, many tried to restore legality through demonstrative corporal punishment of marauders. Namely, there is a war here, and they are making money here… Many citizens supported such methods, and what is important, among these “many” there were many lawyers.

Almost a year has passed, and statistics have proved that, it turns out, the problem of Ukrainian society during the war was completely different, and official statistics convincingly prove the existence of the problem of moral and ethical foundations of Ukrainian society: what actions during the war are less permissible for individuals who belong to the criminalized strata of the population, and those who are considered less inclined to commit crimes due to the presence of higher education and greater social adaptability, are more likely to do so.

Moreover, this trend is partially confirmed by the latest corruption scandals at the highest levels of government, which proves that war is by no means a guarantee of the quasi-elites’ understanding of society’s problems, where the moral demand of “the water law of the jungle during a drought” comes first.

Yes, be that as it may, the statistics of 2022 demonstrated the violation of the “water truce in our jungle”, namely:

1. A significant decrease in thefts (although, on the other hand, the tendency to decrease thefts existed even before the beginning of the war).
2. Explosive increase in cases of fraud of all categories.
3. A sharp decline in real estate fraud, which can be attributed to the war’s impact on the real estate market.
4. Increase in fraud – misdemeanors, and fraud – crimes.

I can assume that the majority of these cases are related to volunteer activities, but this remains to be proven.