“As a soldier, I am asking the government to eradicate bribery”

Artur with a callsign “Sokil” is well known to our readers. His photo portrait made by Serhii Kharchenko at the beginning of summer in Sloviansk has won Den’s Golden Award at the Photo Contest this year. Den found the hero of the photo, met with him, and recorded his story. Later director of Akvavita Ltd. Tetiana Yurkova purchased this photo for 15,000 hryvnias at a charity auction. This money was given for the needs of Ukrainian servicemen and personally Artur. Since that time, we have stayed in touch with the soldier, and yesterday Artur, who has a three-day leave, came with a visit to the newspaper’s office.

“My formula against corruption is simple: start with yourself. We will never eradicate this evil, if we think that corruption is only about giving or taking bribes by other people. When we think that only we need to jump the queue to get to the doctor, that only we don’t have time to make a protocol with a road inspector, do we have any right to demand high-ranking officials not to take bribes? You should start the change with yourself. That was the motto of Maidan. When we start thinking before giving a bribe, we will change the country,” Artur Stepanenko is sure.

 The soldier has worked for several years as an assistant of a district inspector and had to resign because he could not take bribes. Sokil says, “I have never taken any bribes. I passed the case to the higher authorities. Yes, it happened so that later such cases were closed. What can a junior sergeant do when a perpetrator goes directly to the officer and laughs me in the face? I could not stand this and resigned. Now the situation in the police has changed a bit.”

Artur Stepanenko reminded that the power is responsible before the society, “When in the frontline you carry your killed brother-in-arms, who died for the independence of Ukraine, the change of system, and at the same time bribes are being given and taken in higher echelons of power, this is too cynical. As a solider, I am asking the government to eradicate corruption.”

The soldier told about his daily routine in the 3rd Tank Battalion “Zvirobii,” in particular, about his tank, Angelina-White Tiger, about the leisure of the soldiers. It turned out that soldiers at the frontline recreate with Den: Artur said that the unit is regularly receiving the newspaper, and the soldiers read everything, although they are especially interested in the stories of servicemen. And they learn the news first-hand, from fellow soldiers. Den presented Artur with the album People of the Maidan. A Chronicle, the book Ukraine Incognita. TOP 25, and fresh issues of glossy supplement Route No. 1.

Read an interview with Artur Stepanenko in the upcoming issues of The Day.