Honcharuk Oleksii Valeriiovych
Lawyer, politician
Minister of Internal Affairs Klymenko appointed Ruslan Biryukov as his advisor. One problem: Biryukov is a notorious law enforcement officer with documented illegal enrichment. The multimillion assets of the police officer, which do not correspond to official income, did not prevent him from obtaining a position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The system appoints its own — regardless of their wealth.
Journalists documented that Biryukov owns real estate, vehicles, and other assets whose value is incompatible with the official income of a public servant. His declarations did not reflect his actual financial status. The classic scheme of enrichment "in uniform" — part of the assets is hidden, part is registered to relatives.
The fact of Biryukov's notoriety was known to journalists and anti-corruption activists before the appointment. Klymenko ignored this. Such staffing policy — when a scandalous law enforcement officer becomes the minister's advisor — shows that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a place where corruption does not hinder careers, but rather facilitates them.
The position of "advisor" in the Ukrainian bureaucratic system is an ideal refuge: no direct authority, no public accountability, but access to decisions and resources. For Biryukov, this is a way to remain in the system without coming under direct scrutiny. The "our people" scheme in the Ministry of Internal Affairs continues.