Ukraine’s troubled fight against corruption hit a critical impasse this week as the government refused to approve the appointment of Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi, a veteran investigator selected through an internationally-backed competitive process to lead the Bureau of Economic Security (BES). Despite clear legal mandates and unanimous support from international experts on the selection panel, Kyiv’s leadership has refused to move forward, citing alleged concerns about Tsyvinskyi’s family ties to Russia – a justification dismissed by the selection commission as baseless and already vetted.

The move has generated a wave of criticism from reform advocates, opposition politicians, and segments of Ukraine’s business community, many of whom view it as a direct breach of both national law and the country’s obligations to its Western partners.

Tsyvinskyi, currently serving with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), was chosen to lead BES following a months-long selection process overseen by a commission composed of Ukrainian and international experts. All three international members voted in favor of his appointment, overriding dissent from their Ukrainian counterparts, as permitted under the panel’s established rules.

However, on July 8, the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers rejected Tsyvinskyi’s nomination, citing a letter from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) which alleged that his father holds a Russian passport. The government did not present any new evidence or suggest that Tsyvinskyi himself posed a security risk.

At a livestreamed meeting on July 14, the selection commission addressed the controversy directly. Chairwoman Laura Ștefan, a Romanian anti-corruption expert,........

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