The State Aviation Service of Ukraine, which is supposed to ensure flight safety and control the industry, has in recent years, according to experts and market participants, effectively lost its functions as an independent regulator. Instead of protecting the interests of the state and defense, the agency has turned into an administrative center for making decisions in favor of individual groups, and in some cases, structures associated with Russia.
The key role in this process was played by the previous leadership of the service — former head Oleksandr Bilchuk and his deputy Ihor Zelinsky. It was during the full-scale war that decisions were made that forced Ukrainian enterprises to cooperate with foreign intermediaries with a dubious reputation, despite the presence of their own certified companies.
One of the most resonant examples was the decision to transfer the maintenance of repair documentation for Mi-8 helicopters to AAL Group Ltd. Despite the fact that Ukraine has its own enterprises capable of performing this work, an offshore structure was chosen, the ultimate beneficiary of which is called the company "Helicopters of Russia", which is part of the state corporation "Rostec". According to market information, it was after this decision that Bilchuk was fired. It is additionally noted that American military structures had previously recognized this company as unsuitable for cooperation due to its ties with the Russian Federation.
The situation with the Il-76 aircraft, which were traditionally used for military, humanitarian and evacuation missions, was no less problematic. In 2023, the State Aviation Service initially confirmed the absence of restrictions on their operation, but later changed its position sharply, stating the absence of civil type certificates. This effectively blocked the use of the aircraft, led to downtime of equipment and financial losses for the state.
At the same time, the regulator issued airworthiness certificates based on documents from the Russian developer, PJSC Il, which is under Ukrainian sanctions. Experts emphasize that such a practice could mean legalizing the decisions of the aggressor country's enterprise and creating financial benefits for the Russian side. At the same time, Ukraine has its own certified organizations capable of providing technical support without any contacts with sanctioned structures.
The history of problems in the department is longer. Back in 2016, NABU completed an investigation into the then head of the service, Denys Antonyuk, on suspicion of abuse of office and granting advantages to individual carriers. The losses at that time were estimated at hundreds of thousands of hryvnias.
Before the full-scale war, the media repeatedly reported on corrupt practices in issuing flight permits, delaying the processing of documents, and creating artificial barriers for airlines. The publications featured senior officials of the service, including First Deputy Head Serhiy Korshuk. However, no systematic personnel and management conclusions were made.
Industry experts are convinced that, given the state of war and the strategic importance of aviation, the regulator's activities require a comprehensive review, and possible connections with sanctioned or Russian-affiliated structures require a thorough legal assessment.
