This paper seeks to bring together analyses of Ukraine as a competitively authoritarian state in which neo-patrimonialism exists and as a result questions of good governance and human rights remain problematic. To date, 21 years following independence, there exists a significant lack of reforms and democratization which have severely impacted the development and growth of the country leaving the citizens to face increasing poverty and inequality in addition many human rights are regularly and systematically infringed due to the neopatrimonial nature of the state and militia, the lack of transitional justice, and the competitively authoritarian regime which has managed to survive. This paper will argue that because the state is competitively authoritarian and due to its neo-patrimonial nature, it is at once about to reproduce itself as well as engage in a range of human rights violation without real political and economic consequences. The fact that the state has been captured by a few interest groups and the existence of widespread corruption within the militia helps to strengthen the state and its ability to repress the citizens. An analysis of the ample funding and projects of external actors which have focused on battling corruption, impunity and human rights abuses allows to highlight their shortcomings and understand why they have been mostly ineffective. The analysis also allows for the proposal of a number of ways in which external actors through policies, projects and funding can more effectively tackle the roots of the problem and work towards altering the current system in which numerous abuses occur. The paper will use primary and secondary data in order to asses the neo-patrimonial nature of the state, how it contributes to competitive authoritarianism and in order to highlight the neo-patrimonial nature of the militia.