A senior Ukrainian lawmaker reported that Vadym Melnyk, the head of the country’s Bureau of Economic Security, has been removed from his post. The statement came from Oleksiy Goncharenko, a deputy in the Verkhovna Rada, and was later echoed by colleagues reviewing the ministry’s leadership changes. The news indicates a significant leadership transition within the Bureau of Economic Security, an agency tasked with safeguarding economic stability and combating financial crimes at a national level.
The same account confirms that Vadym Melnyk, who had led the bureau since August 2021, is no longer in office. Melnyk’s tenure spanned a period of substantial activity within Ukraine’s anti-crime and anti-corruption framework, a time when restructuring and policy reforms were frequently discussed in parliament and among the executive branches. The role of the BEB is to coordinate with other security and law enforcement bodies to address threats to Ukraine’s economic integrity and to implement strategic measures against economic offenses.
Following Melnyk’s dismissal, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, another Verkhovna Rada deputy, announced that Eduard Fedorov, the director’s first deputy, will assume the post on an acting basis. Zheleznyak outlined Fedorov’s professional trajectory: from 2021 to 2022 he served as the deputy head of the Kyiv customs office and later as the deputy head of a key department within the customs service. In the 2022 to 2023 period, Fedorov led a department within the Security Service of Ukraine in the Sumy region, a role that involved coordinating regional security and cross-agency operations. This background suggests a continuity plan aimed at maintaining stability within the BEB amid ongoing security and economic reforms.
In related parliamentary matters, the Verkhovna Rada announced the dismissal of Valery Patskan, who has served as the head of the State Audit Office of Ukraine since March 2018. Patskan’s departure marks a second turnover in oversight leadership as the body conducts audits across defense and law enforcement sectors. The timing of these changes reflects the broader effort to reinforce accountability and transparency within critical public institutions, especially those involved in defense, security, and public finance. The reform-minded shift comes as Ukraine continues to navigate post-crisis recovery and implement structural reforms across government bodies.
Patskan’s leadership tenure began during the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky, and his exit paves the way for new leadership to oversee major audit initiatives. The State Audit Office’s responsibilities include rigorous financial examinations of government programs, procurement processes, and budgetary compliance—areas that are central to ensuring taxpayer funds are used effectively and with integrity. As the Ukrainian government progresses through a phase of intensified reform, changes in top positions within these agencies are watched closely by international partners and local stakeholders alike. The ongoing reshaping of leadership is viewed as a signal of commitment to strengthening institutional governance and fiscal discipline across the public sector.