Ukrainians Shocked by Politicians Wealth

The anti-corruption reform requiring high-ranking Ukrainian officials to declare their financial assets on the Internet brought to the surface the huge gap between the wealth of politicians and those whom they represent, reported Reuters.

Some declared millions of USD in cash. Others confessed that they own huge collections of luxury cars, expensive Swiss watches, diamond jewelry and vast real estate properties.

These discoveries may undermine further the public trust in Ukrainian authorities. The average monthly wage in Ukraine is slightly over USD 200.

Bureaucrats had to declare on the Internet details about their assets and income in 2015 by Sunday. These are some of the measures supported by the IMF for achieving transparency and modernising the Ukrainian economy which has been hit by a severe recession.

By Reuters' calculations based on the declarations, the 24 members of the Ukrainian government own nearly USD 7 B in cash in their homes.