Ex-Prosecutor General Kostin becomes Ukraine’s Ambassador to the Netherlands: biography and scandals
8 April 2025 00:11
Former Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin has been appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to the Netherlands and permanent representative of Ukraine to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. This is stated in the relevant decrees on the website of the President’s Office, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The two decrees appointing Kostin to the posts are dated April 7.
“To appoint Kostin Andriy Yevhenovych as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Kingdom of the Netherlands,” reads Decree #212/202.
In addition, Presidential Decree 213/2025 also appointed Kostin as Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
President Zelenskyy approved the appointments by other decrees:
- Oleksandr Nechytailo as Ambassador of Ukraine to China;
- Oleksiy Havrysh – Ambassador of Ukraine to Norway;
- Yuriy Klymenko as Ambassador of Ukraine to Argentina and concurrently to Paraguay.
As a reminder, on October 31, the President dismissed Andriy Kostin from the post of Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
It should be noted that Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin resigned on October 22 after a high-profile scandal with the MSEC and fake disabilities of prosecutors in the regions.
It is known that Kostin announced this decision after a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council with the participation of the President, where they discussed the obviously immoral situation with fake disabilities of civil servants.
What is known about Andriy Kostin
Kostin graduated from the Mechnikov Odesa State University with a degree in law. Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Odesa Regional Bar Association. Co-founder and member of the Board of the Odesa Diplomatic Club. Lawyer. Co-founder and director of Pravo Law Firm.
Since 2000, he has been a member of the International Bar Association (IBA). He served as Deputy Chairman of the Subcommittee on Land Transportation of the IBA Maritime and Transport Law Committee.
In 2010-2015, he was a deputy of the Odesa City Council in the district No. 23 from the Front of Changes party.
In 2012, he was elected as a member of the Bar Council of Odesa Region and later as the Deputy Chairman of the Council.
In 2013-2016, he was the Chairman of the International Relations Committee of the Ukrainian National Bar Association.
In 2019, he was elected as a Member of Parliament of the 9th convocation from the Servant of the People party, number 108 on the list as a non-partisan. He is a member of the faction of the same name. Since November 10, 2019, he has been a member of the party. Until January 14, 2020, he was the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Legal Policy, and then the Chairman of the Committee.
In 2021, he participated in the competition for the position of the head of the SAPO, but did not pass the interview. on July 27, 2022, the Rada supported the appointment of Andriy Kostin as Prosecutor General of Ukraine. The decision was supported by 299 MPs.
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What scandals are associated with the name of Andrii Kostin?
According to the Open Register of National Public Figures of Ukraine, Kostin’s wife works as an assistant consultant to his colleague in the party, parliament and committee, Dyrdin, and Dyrdin’s wife works as an assistant consultant to Kostin. A similar “exchange” exists between the candidate and MP Zadorozhnyi: Kostin’s daughter works as an assistant consultant to the latter, and presumably Zadorozhnyi’s son works as an assistant consultant to Kostin. These are possible cases of nepotism (the use of official powers in the interests of close people).
According to the Skhemy project, Dyrdina’s wife, who is Kostin’s assistant, may also be involved in money laundering as part of a project of the time of former President Viktor Yanukovych to hold the Winter Olympics in Ukraine.
In 2019-2020, Andrii Kostin did not declare any residence in Kyiv, although, according to the Verkhovna Rada website, he received budgetary compensation for renting a house or renting a hotel room in the amount of about UAH 20 thousand per month. The place of residence of the candidate’s daughter, who has been working in Kyiv as an assistant consultant to another MP, a colleague from the Servant of the People faction, Andrii Zadorozhnyi, since 2019, is also not declared.
As head of the Legal Policy Committee, Andrii Kostin was responsible for judicial reform in the parliament. However, it was during Kostin’s leadership of the committee that proper judicial reform was blocked, and the necessary legislative changes and proposals were distorted. In particular, the process of relaunching the HQCJ has stopped, leaving Ukraine short of about 2,000 judges. Instead of restarting the HCJ, it was strengthened. And the parliament continues to appoint judges of the Constitutional Court without introducing a transparent competition.
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