Open competition or backroom decision: why the appointment of the head of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine has become a matter of national security

The appointment of the head of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine has long gone beyond a simple personnel procedure. In fact, it is about choosing a model for managing a strategically important regulator: transparent and professional, or closed, backroom, and politically motivated. And right now, the government is facing a choice that will have direct consequences for the country's defense capabilities. How the government should act to protect one of the most important areas, read in the UNN material.

Formally, the Cabinet of Ministers can appoint the head of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine without an open competition – martial law allows it. But the key word here is "can," not "must." After all, current legislation does not prohibit announcing an open competition even in wartime. Moreover, the practice of holding an open competition for the position has been repeatedly applied by the government since 2022. That is, the issue is not legal restrictions, but solely political will.

Against the backdrop of a full-scale war, the State Aviation Service has ceased to be a "technical" body. After all, it is responsible for the certification of aviation equipment, market access for enterprises, flight safety, as well as for decisions that directly affect the fulfillment of defense orders, logistics, humanitarian and evacuation missions. An error or an intentionally harmful decision in this area is not just a management failure, but a risk to national security.

That is why the situation around one of the candidates for the head of the body, Ihor Zelinsky, whom Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba submitted for consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers, raises many questions.

As UNN previously reported, Zelinsky is not new to the aviation sector – he worked as deputy head of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine and was dismissed in 2025. Representatives of the aviation industry associate his period of work with the systemic decline of transport aviation. During this time, the Il-76 fleet, which is critical for military and humanitarian transportation, actually disappeared from the Ukrainian register. Some aircraft were excluded from the register, some were blocked by regulatory decisions, and some actually came under Russian control.

Additional questions regarding Zelinsky's candidacy also arise against the backdrop of one of his most resonant decisions in the aviation sector, made after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This refers to the use of documents from the Russian sanctioned company PJSC "Il". Despite the current sanctions regime, Zelinsky issued airworthiness review certificates for aircraft based on the decisions of this enterprise, effectively legalizing the documents of the aggressor country's company through the Ukrainian state regulator. And this despite the fact that at that time there was already a certified organization in Ukraine capable of providing appropriate technical support without involving Russian structures.

According to experts, such decisions not only contradicted Ukraine's sanctions policy but also created direct risks to national security, as they effectively opened up the possibility of continued interaction with enterprises of the aggressor state's defense-industrial complex.

It is indicative that these risks have already become the subject of attention of law enforcement agencies. Thus, the Security Service of Ukraine is conducting a special check of the candidate for the position of head of the State Aviation Service, Ihor Zelinsky, during which it will take into account possible harm to the state in case of his appointment. This was previously reported by UNN with reference to the response of authorized bodies.

The regulator has no right to issue permits, certificates, or other acts if their basis is decisions or conclusions of Russian companies that are under sanctions. The sanctions regime means a complete ban on any direct or indirect cooperation. Issuing a permit in such a situation actually legalizes the influence of a sanctioned entity through a state body of Ukraine.

Against this background, Kuleba's desire to appoint the head of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine without an open competition looks at least strange. After all, a full-fledged open selection would automatically mean public interviews, questions about past decisions, analysis of candidates' activities, and comparison of alternatives. This is precisely what they are obviously trying to avoid.

In a comment to UNN, political scientist Volodymyr Tsybulko directly pointed to the systemic problem of such appointments. According to him, selection based on loyalty, not professionalism, inevitably leads to the degradation of state institutions. And in the case of the aviation industry, these consequences can be fatal.

In fact, the quality of officials appointed without competitions is very low, and this simply leads to catastrophic consequences.

Let us remind you

Ukraine is already preparing to resume competitions for key positions. Relevant decisions and legislative changes are in the process of being adopted. Therefore, attempts to appoint the head of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine "quickly and without fuss" right now look like an attempt to make it before the competitive mechanism becomes inevitable.

The main conclusion in this story is obvious: the government must announce an open competition for the position of head of the aviation regulator. This does not contradict the law, does not interfere with military administration, and, on the contrary, is almost the only way to choose a truly competent leader. Transparent selection minimizes risks to defense capabilities, removes questions about political agreements, and demonstrates that the state, even in times of war, is capable of acting openly and responsibly. Especially in an area where the price of error is the country's security.