The ODEAC project: how open data will help protect EU funds in Ukraine

On 28 April 2026, the NGO “Open Data Association” held the introductory online event of the ODEAC project — Open Data Education Against Corruption & Fraud. It marks the start of a 12-month initiative designed to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies to detect and prevent fraud in public finances, especially involving the international financial assistance Ukraine receives. The project is supported by the European Union under the EU Anti-Fraud Programme and coordinated by the European Anti-Fraud Office, OLAF.

The meeting brought together 40 participants — representatives of Ukrainian law enforcement and anti-corruption institutions, as well as their colleagues from various EU countries.

Project context

In recent years, the volume of international financial assistance to Ukraine has become unprecedented. From the European Union alone, Ukraine has received around EUR 200 million in support. The large amount of funding, the urgency of reconstruction and martial law put pressure on the control system and, at the same time, make the risks of corruption, fraud and inefficient use of funds much higher.

According to Transparency International, Ukraine ranks 104th out of 182 in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index — one place higher than the year before. There is progress, but there is still a long way to go. At the same time, in terms of open data maturity (according to the Open Data Maturity Report), Ukraine scores 97% of the benchmark, which places it among the leaders.

[note] This contrast between high data quality and a high level of perceived corruption is the key focus of the ODEAC project. If the tools exist, the question is not whether they are available but whether people are able to use them systematically and professionally.

On top of this, the team identified two structural gaps at the start of the project: the lack of a comprehensive training programme that would prepare investigators to work with open data in their daily practice, and weak inter-institutional cooperation, both among the Ukrainian bodies authorised to investigate fraud and between them and their European colleagues. The project’s first event is the first step towards closing these gaps.

What does the project involve?

The ODEAC project is built as a closed cycle of five phases:

1. assessing the needs of law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies;
2. developing two new training courses (an online “Basic Course 2” and an advanced offline course);
3. running trainings for at least 800 participants;
4. a series of inter-agency workshops and exchanges of practice with European partners;
5. producing a methodological guide in Ukrainian and English.

The target audiences are representatives of the National Police, NABU, the State Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Economic Security, the SBU, NACP, the State Financial Monitoring Service, customs and tax authorities, and anti-corruption officers in public authorities.

What was discussed at the introductory event?

The event was opened by Nataliia Chornohub, Head of the NGO “Open Data Association”. Her speech began to the sound of an air-raid siren — a detail that once again reminded everyone of the conditions in which Ukraine’s anti-corruption and law enforcement community works today, and of how directly the transparency of financial flows in wartime is linked to national security. Nataliia stressed that fighting fraud is not about reporting to donors, but about creating an environment where every euro and every hryvnia works for victory and reconstruction.

The core of the discussion was formed by speakers working on countering fraud at the national and European levels.

OLAF: the European framework for protecting financial interests

OLAF analyst Andrii Gabriel presented the mandate and structure of the European Anti-Fraud Office, which investigates offences affecting the EU’s financial interests. OLAF’s work covers two areas: investigating fraud involving EU budget revenue (in particular customs offences) and fraud involving expenditure — structural funds, grants and external aid programmes, including the Ukraine Facility.

He shared OLAF’s statistics for 2024: 246 investigations closed and 230 opened; 188 financial recommendations, 60 administrative and 30 judicial. The total amount of financial recommendations reached around EUR 871 million.

Using examples of specific investigations — from smuggling schemes with false declarations of origin to cases of inflated prices in tenders through networks of related companies — he showed how OLAF combines forensic data analysis, OSINT, network analysis and artificial intelligence to process large volumes of information.

At EU level, OLAF cooperates with EPPO, Eurojust, Europol and the European Court of Auditors. In Ukraine, its key partner is the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. Andrii Gabriel also highlighted OLAF’s anonymous Fraud Notification System — a channel through which reports of possible offences can be submitted in all 24 official EU languages.

The Ukrainian context: financial intelligence

Anton Ivanytskyi, Director of the Financial Investigations Department of the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine, explained the role of the Service as a financial intelligence unit. It is an institution that analyses financial flows, identifies suspicious patterns and prepares analytical materials for law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies. Over 25 years, Ukraine has received around EUR 106 billion from European funds — a volume that in itself requires systemic control mechanisms.

He described specific cases of misuse, embezzlement, price inflation and money laundering, and noted that the Service has referred 143 materials related to money laundering and misuse of budget funds to law enforcement agencies. He particularly emphasised the value of open data in the Service’s daily work, as well as the gaps where data cannot yet be fully used.

Tools that already work

Maksym Zinchenko, an expert at YouControl, presented the practical layer of this system — specific analytical tools based on open data that are used by investigative journalists, law enforcement officers and anti-corruption analysts. They include searching for and verifying information about legal entities, identifying ultimate beneficial owners, mapping links between entities, screening counterparties for sanctions and PEP risks, and monitoring public procurement.

At the end of the event, participants were offered free one-month trial access to YouControl as a practical step from theory to everyday use.

Who benefits from the project, and how?

The direct beneficiaries of ODEAC are around 800 specialists from Ukrainian institutions that counter corruption and fraud. They will receive a ready-made, accredited training programme, a methodological guide and access to practical cases.

There are many more indirect beneficiaries.

• European institutions — OLAF, EPPO and national agencies of member states — gain a more reliable national layer of protection for EU funds in Ukraine.
• Civil society gains a methodological guide and shared standards for working with data.
• Ukrainian citizens gain better accountability for public funds.
• Ukrainian business gains a more transparent environment and lower compliance risks.

What’s next?

The first training groups are scheduled to start as early as May 2026. You can follow announcements on opendataassociation.org and on our Facebook page. If you would like to take part in any of the events, please contact us at info@opendataassociation.org

We thank all the speakers and participants of the introductory event, as well as the European Union and OLAF for their trust and support. ODEAC is only the beginning of a conversation that will continue over the next twelve months and beyond.