Vice Prime Minister Kuleba is trying to appoint the head of the State Aviation Service before the open competition resumes. What is the reason?

The Vice Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine – Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, Oleksiy Kuleba, is rushing a personnel decision that could have long-term negative consequences for national security and the future of Ukrainian aviation. This concerns the promotion of Ihor Zelinskyi's candidacy for the position of head of the State Aviation Service of Ukraine without an open competition. Obviously, the main reason for such haste is the planned resumption of mandatory open selections starting this summer, which will practically make it impossible to "quietly" appoint "their own" people to positions, UNN writes.

The law allows, but does not oblige

After the start of the full-scale invasion, mandatory competitions for state positions were canceled. This gave the Government a tool for quick personnel decisions in conditions of martial law.

The National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service (NACS) explained in a comment to UNN that although mandatory competitions for state positions have been canceled, this is not an obstacle to open selection.

"There is a law on the legal regime of martial law, which provides that, in particular, appointments to civil service positions are made without a competition. Therefore, there is no mandatory competition. And then, how they are appointed, whether it will be an interview or something else, this is not provided for by anything," the NACS said.

The National Agency also added that in any case, the candidate must meet the requirements established by law.

This means that as of today, the relevant department independently decides whether to hold an open competition for positions or to hire officials through an interview. However, this temporary mechanism is increasingly being used not to strengthen institutions, but to avoid public scrutiny of candidates. And obviously, Vice Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba also decided to use it.

In addition, it is planned to resume open competitions for state positions in June-September of this year. The Verkhovna Rada plans to consider the relevant bill in the near future. So Kuleba understands that there is not much time left until the resumption of competitions, and if the leadership of the State Aviation Service remains acting head, he will be forced to announce an open selection.

In the event of an open competition, the candidate would be forced to publicly explain his actions in the position of deputy head of the department, answer questions from the public and experts, and undergo an integrity assessment. Under such circumstances, his chances would look, to put it mildly, questionable.

Zelinskyi's questionable managerial "background"

As UNN previously reported, representatives of the Ukrainian aviation market characterize Zelinskyi's period as deputy head of the State Aviation Service (2020–2025) as a time of systemic and purposeful destruction of transport aviation. If in 2016 there were more than 20 Il-76 aircraft in the state register, then by the beginning of 2025 there were only two left, and even those are not airworthy.

Experts point out that it was precisely due to the decisions of the previous leadership of the State Aviation Service (the head of the regulator Oleksandr Bilchuk and his deputy Ihor Zelinskyi) that these aircraft were excluded from the Ukrainian register and actually came under Russian control. During this period, regulatory decisions were also made aimed at creating artificial obstacles to the operation of Il-76 in Ukraine, which can be considered an undermining of the state's defense capability.

In addition, since the 1990s, it was possible to operate Il-76MD aircraft without additional paperwork for their re-registration between various departments, including the Ministry of Defense. In June 2023, when Zelinskyi was acting head of the State Aviation Service, after appeals from representatives of the aviation market and the Ministry of Defense, he officially confirmed the absence of obstacles to the use of transport aircraft in the interests of Ukraine.

However, six months later, in December, he changed his mind, stating that the Il-76MD did not have civil type certificates and could not be registered. As a result, the use of aircraft for military, humanitarian, and evacuation missions was blocked. In addition, this decision led to the downtime of the aircraft and additional budget expenditures for their maintenance.

It should be noted that after the illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's invasion of Donbas, Ukraine imposed sanctions against the Russian developer of Il-76 aircraft, PJSC "Il". That is, any cooperation with this Russian enterprise is prohibited.

Despite this, Zelinskyi issued dozens of airworthiness review certificates for aircraft based on the decision of the sanctioned PJSC "Il" from June 2022. In fact, in this way, he legalized the use of documents of the aggressor country's enterprise, which, according to experts, could have brought the Russian side tens of millions of dollars in income.

In addition, Zelinskyi ignored the fact that there is a certified organization in Ukraine capable of providing appropriate support for Il-76 aircraft of PJSC "Il" without involving Russian sanctioned companies that are part of the aggressor country's military-industrial complex.

As representatives of the aviation market explained to UNN, with his decision, Zelinskyi put Il-75 aircraft operators before a choice: either cooperate with the Russian sanctioned developer, or refuse to use the aircraft.

An open competition would automatically mean an analysis of these decisions, inquiries from journalists, attention from relevant experts and public organizations, and possibly even law enforcement agencies. After all, candidates for the position of head of the State Aviation Service, according to the law, must undergo a special check by law enforcement agencies, including the Security Service of Ukraine.

In response to UNN's request, the SBU stated that they could not provide details regarding the verification of Zelinskyi's activities, as this information is restricted.

A strategic regulator without public trust?

The State Aviation Service is not just a regulator. In the conditions of a full-scale war, it is an element of the national security system, as it is responsible for policy in the field of airspace use, aircraft certification, supervision, and international coordination. In the prospect of post-war recovery, this body can become key for the return of civil aviation, the restoration of air traffic, and the attraction of foreign carriers and investors.

The appointment of the head of such a body behind closed doors, without a competition and without public scrutiny, creates serious risks. Firstly, it undermines trust in the institution from society and international partners. Secondly, it actually preserves old management approaches that have already raised questions about integrity and possible harm to national interests.

Therefore, Vice Prime Minister Kuleba's haste in appointing the head of the State Aviation Service looks like an attempt to fix control over a strategic body until the rules of the game change, because the resumption of competitions will mean the loss of the ability to unilaterally influence their outcome.

UNN asked the Vice Prime Minister why he chose Zelinskyi as a candidate for the position of head of the State Aviation Service, but Kuleba avoided answering by redirecting the question to his "right hand" - Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Serhiy Derkach.

He, in turn, confirmed the strategic importance of the aviation regulator for the state and assured that Zelinskyi is the best candidate.

"...Today we are working through all personnel decisions to find the best candidates who have experience in aviation in general, so that we can make the best personnel decisions," Kuleba's deputy explained.

With such a track record of Zelinskyi, whom, by the way, Kuleba dismissed from the position of deputy head of the State Aviation Service in February 2025, it is even scary to imagine who else was among the contenders.

By the way, UNN tried to get a comment from the candidate Ihor Zelinskyi himself, but despite his promises to talk, he has not yet responded.

For now, one thing is clear – the use of martial law as a cover to avoid public selection only strengthens suspicions about the motives of such an appointment. Given the critical importance of the State Aviation Service for national security, defense, and future economic recovery, its head should be chosen exclusively through an open and transparent competition. And the winner's candidacy should be free of a questionable managerial legacy, not raise questions about integrity, and fully comply with legal requirements.

The issue of appointing individuals involved in the possible financing of the military-industrial complex of the aggressor state cannot be resolved in a "manual control" mode. It requires a systemic approach, transparency, and mandatory involvement of institutions responsible for national security. Only in this way can objectivity of assessment be guaranteed and the appointment of individuals whose actions pose a threat to the country's defense capability to strategic positions be prevented.