# Shadow economy
A breakthrough in the fight against these schemes will come when the Security Service of Ukraine stops taking part in them and pretending to do its job, says an MP
MP Danylo Getmantsev stated that, in order to tackle the black market in tobacco, smuggling and grey imports, the State Customs Service must stop participating in these schemes and pretending to do its job.
The reform of the State Customs Service will cost around €1.2 billion
The reform of Ukraine’s State Customs Service requires funding of around €1.2 billion. A significant portion of the funds is expected to come from international donors.
The global volume of illegal online gambling has reached $5.9 trillion
The turnover in the unregulated online gambling sector reached $5.9 trillion in 2025. This is according to a new study by Gaming Compliance International.
Against the backdrop of the growth of the illegal gambling market, the ESBU’s performance in this area has more than halved
Despite the rise in underground gambling, the Economic Security Bureau has significantly scaled back its efforts to combat the illegal gambling market.
Getmantsev has announced a committee meeting on the BEB report for 25 May
Danylo Getmantsev, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada’s Finance Committee, has announced that an open committee meeting will be held on 25 May, at which the committee plans to hear a report from the Economic Security Bureau. The meeting will be streamed online.
The aviation industry has warned of the risk of losing maintenance infrastructure due to pressure from the ESBU
Ukrainian airlines and market experts are warning of risks to the aircraft maintenance infrastructure due to harassment by the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine
I am calling for a meeting of the Committee to hear the BEB report – Getmantsev
Despite reports from the Economic Security Bureau that the ‘Marketopt’ chain has ceased operations, the shops continue to operate as usual. The chain is also still looking for new self-employed staff.
An illegal tobacco production operation has been uncovered in Odesa and the Ternopil region; the organisers have been charged
Law enforcement officers have informed members of an inter-regional group, which organised the illegal production of tobacco products in Odesa, that they are under suspicion. According to the investigation, residents of Odesa and Ternopil were involved in the scheme.
Andriy Rubel has been appointed as the new head of the Kyiv Regional Police
Ivan Vyhovskyi, Head of the National Police of Ukraine, has introduced the new Head of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Kyiv Region. The post has been taken up by Andrii Rubel.
The MP stated that the Economic Security Bureau should be tackling the shadow economy, rather than posting on Facebook
Ukrainian MP Danylo Getmantsev believes that the Economic Security Bureau should be tackling the shadow economy rather than posting on Facebook. This is the key to creating an attractive business climate in the country and attracting investment.
During the war, the State Bureau of Investigation will spend 13.5 million hryvnias on software for media analytics and the preparation of ‘aesthetic’ reports
The State Bureau of Investigations is to purchase business analytics software worth 13.5 million hryvnias.
Under Tsyvinskyi’s leadership, the ESBU increased its expenditure on overseas business trips
In the first quarter of 2026, the Economic Security Bureau spent over 1.2 million hryvnias on business travel. Expenditure on overseas travel doubled compared with the same period last year.
