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Under mounting international and domestic pressure, Ukraine’s government may be forced to appoint Oleksandr Tsyvinsky as the head of the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB), despite weeks of resistance and allegations of politically motivated obstruction.
Tsyvinsky, a veteran anti-corruption investigator and former NABU official, was nominated on June 30 by three international members of the bureau’s selection committee. His appointment is a condition of Ukraine’s $15 billion IMF loan package and part of broader reform commitments tied to EU accession. However, the Cabinet of Ministers rejected him, citing concerns over his father’s Russian citizenship.
The move came just days before Kyiv passed a controversial law granting the Prosecutor General expanded authority over NABU and SAPO — both key anti-graft agencies. The decision sparked outrage among civil society and foreign partners.
“The IMF has been very understanding when it comes to Ukraine — but the kind of confidence-sapping moves like those of last week leave a trace that even backtracking on NABU and SAPO won't entirely erase,” said Ukraine’s business ombudsman Roman Washchuk in comments to the Kyiv Independent.
NGO leaders say Tsyvinsky's rejection is part of a broader trend. “Before these events related to NABU and SAPO, there were some doubts that maybe (Tsyvinsky) was just an isolated case. But after, it became very clear that (the government) just doesn't want him because he is an independent person,” said Olena Trehub, head of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission.
Opposition MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak told the Kyiv Independent the rejection was orchestrated by President Volodymyr Zelensky himself to protect his inner circle from future investigations.
With a July 31 deadline looming, Kyiv may have no choice but to confirm Tsyvinsky — or risk alienating its most crucial financial and political allies.
