Briefly
After seven rounds of voting, the selection commission chose two finalists for the position of Head of the State Customs Service: Ruslan Damentsov and Orest Mandziy. Both are detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau who have worked in the agency since 2017. The final choice will now depend on the Ministry of Finance and the Cabinet of Ministers.
Why this matters
The State Customs Service has effectively been without a permanent head for more than four years — after Pavlo Riabikin moved to the Cabinet in November 2021. During that time the post was filled by acting appointees, while systemic reforms and full-fledged management remained fragmentary.
In October 2024 the president signed a law rebooting the State Customs Service, which changed the rules for selecting its head. On 4 August 2025 the Cabinet launched a competition involving Ukrainian and international experts — the commission included business representatives and relevant international specialists. Among them: Andriy Yerashov, Dmytro Oliynik, Oleh Tymkiv, Arunas Adomenas, David Bernstein and Kunio Mikuriya.
What the detectives' presence in the final brings
Pros: the candidates' law-enforcement experience strengthens customs' anti-corruption mandate — operational knowledge of smuggling mechanisms, practical investigative skills, and an understanding of evasion tactics. It's a signal to business and partners: the fight against illegal schemes is becoming a managerial priority.
Risks: customs is not a law-enforcement agency in the classical sense; it also requires management skills, logistics, IT reforms and cooperation with business. Combining an operational approach with systemic management is the main task for the future head.
"Professional leadership of the customs service is not just tough law-enforcement actions, but first and foremost standards, transparent procedures and effective management"
— A customs policy expert
Context for business and partners
For the private sector and international donors, names matter less than metrics: reduction of smuggling, stable customs revenue, implementation of IT systems and transparent procedures. These are the metrics investors and the international organizations represented on the commission will pay attention to.
What’s next
The final appointment depends on the Cabinet and the Ministry of Finance — on their view of the balance between anti-corruption toughness and managerial reform. If a synergy of law-enforcement experience and managerial competence wins out, it could spur the restoration of customs as a pillar of the country’s economic security. If not, the reform risks remaining declarative.
The question to ask now is: whether it will be possible to combine investigative experience with day-to-day managerial practice so that customs becomes an effective instrument of development, and not just a tool of control?
