What happened
The selection committee chose a candidate for the position of head of the State Customs Service — it could be either Orest Mandziy, head of the sixth unit of NABU detectives, or Ruslan Damentsov, deputy head of the second unit of NABU detectives. The committee's decision prompted public criticism from the chair of the relevant parliamentary committee, Danylo Hetmantsev, who called the competition a disappointment.
Why this matters now
The State Customs Service has been without a permanent head for more than four years — since Pavlo Riabikin moved to the Cabinet in November 2021. The problem of a personnel vacuum intersects with a pressing challenge: border control and the fight against smuggling directly affect state revenues and supply logistics, which take on additional importance during wartime.
Criticism and signals from within the authorities
"The competition was disappointing"
— Danylo Hetmantsev, chair of the Verkhovna Rada committee on finance, tax and customs policy
Hetmantsev says he expected a different logic from the competition — in his view, the vote should have been "not about choosing 'OP‑linked' or 'NABU‑linked' candidates, but fair," with the participation of international experts. The MP also hinted that stronger candidates were among those eliminated and called on the commission to openly explain its choice.
"In seven years you haven't produced a single person capable of passing the contest..."
— Yaroslav Zhelezniak, first deputy chair of the committee
The first deputy's position underscores another interpretation: a personnel shortage within the authorities and an outflow of specialists who do not want to tie themselves to public office under current conditions.
Context: links between anti-corruption agencies
Danylo Hetmantsev drew attention to a possible concentration of influence: in his words, today there is "one overly influential group" in the political space that allegedly has the customs service, the BEB, NABU and the SAP in its hands. Recall that the Bureau of Economic Investigations was headed in 2025 by Oleksandr Tsivinsky, a former NABU employee — a fact that commentators cite as a sign of the "flow" of personnel between agencies.
What experts say and possible consequences
Analysts point to two logics behind the choice: first, appointing NABU detectives could signal an intention to strengthen the customs service's investigative component — more attention to smuggling investigations. Second, it creates the risk of political concentration of influence if senior personnel across different agencies come from the same environment and act in coordination without sufficient transparency.
The consequences for the economy and security could be opposite: effective investigations can reduce smuggling volumes and replenish the budget, whereas consolidation of influence without independent oversight increases the risk of abuse.
Brief chronology of State Customs leadership
- Pavlo Riabikin — left the post in November 2021 to join the Cabinet.
- After him, duties were temporarily performed by: Vyacheslav Demchenko (Director of the Department for Combating Smuggling) and Serhii Zvyahintsev (Deputy Head of the State Customs Service).
- The vacancy has lasted more than four years — this complicates the development of a long-term personnel strategy for the customs service.
Conclusion
The commission's decision is not just an internal personnel move. It affects how promptly and transparently the state can counter smuggling and protect economic interests during the war. Whether the appointment becomes a catalyst for real change depends on two things: open explanations from the selection committee and mechanisms for independent oversight of the new head's work. Without these, the risk that the fight against smuggling will remain declarative remains significant.
