Tkachuk Serhii Petrovych

A person who mastered one of the most corrupt structures in the country

If you think that reforms are about transparency, then Tkachuk's case proves that reforms are about the right regional connections. Our protagonist is a classic product of the Khmelnytskyi power industry. At one time, he sat in the position of deputy head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional State Administration under the wing of Serhii Hamalii (remember that governor who was stopped drunk driving during the curfew?). But Tkachuk switched to the right train in time. As soon as another Khmelnytskyi "heavyweight" — Serhii Hlushchenko — became head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, Tkachuk suddenly breaks out to the capital.

First — first deputy, and later — takes the seat of full leader

And here the most interesting begins. The State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection is a goldmine: from export permits for grain to inspections of every shawarma kiosk. What does Tkachuk do? Exactly, he places "his people." The Khmelnytskyi contingent literally occupied the central apparatus and key regional customs offices and laboratories. Instead of digitalization — the good old "subscriptions" for businesses for the right to trade or export without delays.

Meanwhile, Serhii Tkachuk himself is almost a saint in the public eye. No loud scandals, neat press releases about "Eurointegration and food quality." But business associations quietly howl from the informal "instructions" of his department.