Tsyvynskyi reacts to the Cabinet’s refusal to appoint him BES chairman: the fight continues
9 July 2025 01:39
Oleksandr Tsyvinsky, the winner of the competition for the post of BES head, commented on the rejection of his candidacy by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. He published the relevant post on his Facebook page.
According to the law enforcement officer, the government’s decision, which appeared on July 7 in Telegram channels, was not officially made public, and was allegedly based on “security assessments” from the SBU.
Tsyvynskyi said that as a citizen, as an employee who has been undergoing all SBU inspections for 10 years, and as a person who has served in the Defense Intelligence Agency since the first days of the full-scale invasion, he demands a transparent explanation of the reasons for this refusal.
“As a citizen, as a law enforcement officer who has successfully passed all SBU inspections for 10 years, as a person who has defended the homeland and served in the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale invasion, it is a matter of principle for me to find out what kind of “security assessments” were the basis for the decision,” Tsyvinsky emphasized.
He added that he has a security clearance.
Tsyvinsky on his position
In a public statement, the candidate outlined a clear position on the situation:
- There is no official decision of the Cabinet of Ministers yet – the information published on Telegram channels, according to him, has no legal force. Tsyvynskyi is waiting for the document to be published or for officials to officially confirm the information.
- He has already asked the Cabinet of Ministers, the competition commission, and the Security Service of Ukraine to provide all materials, including those related to the security assessment of his candidacy. After receiving the answers, he promises to communicate the situation publicly and in detail.
The intention to change the BES remains
Tsyvinsky emphasized that the situation has only strengthened his motivation to reform the Bureau of Economic Security.
“My intention to turn the BES into an independent and honest body has only strengthened,” he said.
He also thanked all those who supported him during the competition process and promised to make public the results of his activities during his tenure, including successful cases that have already been covered in the media.
As reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", the Cabinet of Ministers is asking the BES Director Selection Commission to re-submit candidates for the position. Thus, the Cabinet of Ministers decided not to approve Oleksandr Tsyvinsky, who was previously selected in a competition, as BES director.
Who is Oleksandr Tsyvinsky?
Oleksandr Tsyvynskyi has a law degree and extensive experience in law enforcement. He is originally from Lviv region.
Tsyvynskyi is a current detective at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and has been working there since 2015.
He is the head of the 3rd Detective Unit of the 2nd Main Department of the NABU.
He took part in the high-profile investigation into corruption in the construction sector of Kyiv, “Clean City”.
Tsyvinsky said he does not communicate with his father, who lives in Russia.
The Anti-Corruption Action Center claims that he has passed all the checks necessary for access to state secrets.
Scandal with the competition for the head of the BES
Representatives of the state in the competition commission for the position of the head of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) disrupted the last stage of the competition, namely the interview with the candidates, citing the need for additional verification by the Security Service of Ukraine.
Although all the candidates passed the special check on May 15, according to Yuriy Ponomarenko, the state representative in the commission, information emerged at the last minute that at least three candidates may have ties to Russia.
“Now, when the very survival of Ukrainian statehood is at stake, we must be as careful as possible. Only the Security Service of Ukraine can be the only authoritative source of verification of information about possible ties between the candidates and Russia,” he said during the last meeting.
Martyna Bohuslavets, head of the Anti-Corruption Center “Mezha”, said that the competition for the post of head of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) on June 9 was finally disrupted by the President’s office. According to her, three government members of the competition commission from Ukraine did not attend the meeting and disrupted it due to the lack of quorum: Yuriy Ponomarenko from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Oleh Hilyaka from the Ministry of Economy, and Tetiana Matselyk from the Ministry of Finance.
She also points out that the competition for the position of BES director is our country’s obligation to the International Monetary Fund and that Ukraine could lose five billion dollars in support if it fails to fulfill its obligations .
Bohuslavets emphasizes that the commission has very little time left, as the agreement with the IMF stipulates that the competition should be completed by the end of July this year.
“Funding for the Commission’s activities is also limited, and the situation threatens to completely disrupt the reset of the BES and damage Ukraine’s financial capacity,” she adds.
The Anti-Corruption Center “Mezha” handed over a laptop with information in English on the disruption of the competition to 30 international partners, including the G7.
