The Ministry of Justice has introduced the new head of the Kyiv Research Institute of Forensic Expertise (KRIFE) — Maksym Kiselyov. The contract with the previous head of the institute Oleksandr Ruvin was not extended.
This was reported by the Ministry of Justice.
Kiselyov has worked as the director of the Department of the State Enforcement Service of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine since 2019. He will now be the acting head of KRIFE.
The contract of the previous director of KRIFE Oleksandr Ruvin expired on December 31, 2024. The Ministry of Justice did not give reasons why it was not extended. Ruvin had headed the institute since 2011.
Oleksandr Ruvin has headed KRIFE since 2011.
However, as early as late December 2024, media outlets reported that Ruvinʼs contract might not be renewed due to his second citizenship. Investigators from Schemes (a “Radio Liberty” project) claimed that Ruvin, before receiving state secret clearance from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), indicated in his application that he had Israeli citizenship. In the same application, Ruvin indicated that his wife, children, and parents had Israeli citizenship.
When asked by Schemes about his foreign citizenship, Ruvin himself initially stated that "itʼs been gone for a long time," and then added that he "didnʼt really have it," calling it a permanent residence permit.
In 2018, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) launched an investigation into possible illegal enrichment of Ruvin, but two weeks later the case was transferred to the National Police, which closed it in 2019. Illegal enrichment was ruled out due to a change in legislation, and false declaration was ruled out due to the absence of elements of a crime.
In 2021, journalists from the Bihus.Info project found out that Oleksandr Ruvin and his family use expensive real estate and cars that do not belong to them, and also own property whose value does not correspond to official income.
- Oleksandr Ruvin has headed KRIFE since 2011. The institute conducts forensic examinations and expert research in a wide variety of areas. KRIFE has conducted examinations in a number of high-profile cases that have caused public scandals. Among them are an attempt to identify the suspects in the murder of Pavlo Sheremet by foot, positive conclusions on the legality of the “Rotterdam+” formula, as well as Ruvin’s attempt to withdraw the examination in the case of the former head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine Roman Nasirov.
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