ESBU Leadership Certification: Six Officials Removed from Office

Six members of the senior management of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESBU) failed the certification process, the first round of which took place on 13-17 July 2026. Tetiana Khutor, Head of the Analytical Centre of the Institute of Legislative Ideas (ILI), serves as a member and Secretary of the ESBU Certification Commission.

"Senior ESBU officials who failed to meet the integrity criteria during the certification process have lost their positions and will be barred from working at the Bureau for the next 10 years. Despite skepticism surrounding the recertification procedure, these results demonstrate that the Commission's work has been effective. We will now focus on preparing for the next wave of certification, which will cover acting heads of departments," said Tetiana Khutor.

Following the assessment, the Certification Commission ruled that the following ESBU officials did not meet the required standards:

• Serhii Zhuravlov – Deputy Head of the ESBU Territorial Office in Volyn Region;
• Serhii Muntian – Head of the ESBU Territorial Office in Odesa Region;
• Oleksii Drozd – Acting Head of the ESBU Territorial Office in Kyiv Region;
• Oleh Borysenko – Head of the ESBU Territorial Office in Chernivtsi Region;
• Yevhenii Berezovyi – Head of the Material and Technical Support Department of the ESBU Central Office;
• Iryna Rieznikova – Deputy Head of the ESBU Legal Department.

Some of these officials have previously been mentioned in investigations by journalists and civil society organizations. Their names have been linked to allegations involving unexplained wealth, registration of high-value assets in the names of relatives, conflicts of interest, high-profile criminal proceedings, and pressure on businesses.

Overall, 14 out of 20 participants successfully passed the certification. The process is one of the key elements of the ESBU reform launched following the appointment of the new Director, Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi.

The certification is expected to cover more than 1,200 ESBU employees and is scheduled to be completed by February 2027. Its purpose is to assess employees' professional competence and integrity, with the possibility of dismissing those who fail to meet the established standards.

The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine is responsible for protecting the state's economic interests by preventing, detecting, stopping, and investigating criminal offences in the economic sphere. An effective and independent ESBU is considered a key prerequisite for continued international financial support for Ukraine.