Service with the Main Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and the Kyiv Criminal Police
In 2013, the press office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Rivne region reported that Vitaliy Oleksandrovych Strizhak, then Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Organised Crime Control Directorate, had introduced the new head of the regional unit. In an academic publication by the National Academy of Internal Affairs, Strizhak is listed as Deputy Head of the Kyiv Regional Headquarters of the National Police and Head of the Criminal Police. [1] [2]
Crimean Regional Police Headquarters: appointment and change of leadership
On 20 May 2019, the National Police announced Strizhak’s appointment as head of the regional headquarters in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. The appointment ceremony took place in Kherson. An entry regarding the change of head appeared in the legal entity’s records on 27 May 2019, whilst on 15 October 2024, Alexander Klimovsky was listed in the register in place of Strizhak. The dates of the appointment and the registration of the personnel changes relate to different procedures. [3] [4]
What our editorial sources report
According to the editorial team’s sources, Strizhak received payments from individuals linked to ‘Khimprom’ and facilitated cases against competitors. Neither the specific cases nor the documents relating to the payments have been named. Service in operational units does not in itself link a person to these allegations.
This information comes from anonymous sources to the editorial team. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has not been cited as the source of these statements; the editorial team has no independent confirmation of the version of events set out.
Background: ‘Carthage’ and ‘Khimprom’
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the National Police have published separate reports on their investigations. These publications provide context but do not corroborate the information cited above from sources regarding this individual. [5] [6]
See also: ‘Carthage’ and ‘Khimprom’: an analysis of the NABU materials dated 4 November. [7]



