"Everything went in accordance with international practices": Tsyvinsky on passing a polygraph

Director of the Bureau of Economic Security Oleksandr Tsyvinsky shared the details of his polygraph test before his appointment, noting that the test was conducted at a high professional level. He told about this in a commentary to Suspilne.

"The test was carried out efficiently, and the specialist met all the necessary conditions. Since I am a polygraph examiner myself, I know well how it should be done. I can say that everything went according to the best international practices," he said .

Tsyvinsky clarified that he was asked about his father's Russian citizenship and asked questions about topics related to the "enemy".

"These topics were checked, and the inspectors had no questions. If there were any, they were completely removed," added the BES director .

He emphasized that taking the polygraph was his own initiative: "I decided to do it to remove all potential issues that could remain and affect me in the future.".

Tsyvynskyi studied at the Lviv Institute of Internal Affairs, from 2003 to 2015 he worked in the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and from 2015 – in the National Anti-Corruption Bureau as a senior detective and head of the department.

on June 24, 2025, the competition commission recognized Tsyvinsky as the winner of the competition for the position of BES director. According to the law, the government had 10 days to appoint Tsyvinsky, but Denys Shmyhal's Cabinet of Ministers did not fulfill this requirement .

An excerpt from the minutes of the government meeting of July 7, at which Tsyvinsky was discussed, states that his candidacy was rejected "taking into account the information provided in the SBU letter.".

According to unofficial information, the claim against Tsyvinsky was his father's Russian citizenship. According to words of Tsyvinsky himself, he has not communicated with his father for about 10 years and does not know whether he has Russian citizenship.

After reshuffling the government, new Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko agreed that Tsyvinsky will undergo a polygraph to remove doubts about his appointment to the BES.

• The BES has not had a full-fledged head for more than two years – since April 23, when Vadym Melnyk resigned of his own free will.
• In June 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the law on the BES reboot, which allowed launching a competition to elect a new director.