Dmitry Levchenko: the career rise of the former head of Kyivpasrans

Former head of the municipal enterprise "Kyivpasrans", Dmitry Levchenko, has come under the spotlight due to his rapid career growth. 

A man without significant experience in managing large-scale structures obtained a key position in 2016, when Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko appointed him head of a strategically important transport enterprise.

Career start: from manager to executive

In 2012, Levchenko received a master's degree from the Kyiv International University. He spent his first few years working as a regular manager until his career trajectory changed dramatically.

In 2016, without notable experience in municipal transport management, he took the post of head of Kyivpasrans – the capital's largest carrier, responsible for the operation of trams, buses and trolleybuses.

Political backing: family ties and influence

Levchenko's promotion is inextricably linked to his father-in-law Roman Romanyuk – a long-time ally of Vitali Klitschko and an influential politician.

• In 2009–2010, Romanyuk headed the "New Country" party, later renamed "UDAR".
• He was a People's Deputy of the VII and VIII convocations (2012–2019) and was a member of "BPP".
• From 1997 to 2007, he worked at the Kyiv City State Administration, where he dealt with interaction with courts and law enforcement agencies.
• From 2008 to 2012, he was a Kyiv City Council deputy from the "Klitschko Bloc", and in 2020 he was re-elected to the city council, this time from "UDAR".

It is clear that such an extensive political background allowed Romanyuk to exert influence on personnel appointments in the capital.

Order recipients and business interests

Notably, both Romanyuk and his son-in-law have been awarded orders of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Romanyuk holds the Order of Prince Vladimir, 2nd and 3rd class, as well as the Order of Andrew the First-Called, while Levchenko has the Order of St Nestor the Chronicler, 2nd class.

These details highlight close ties with certain circles and may explain why Levchenko, a man without serious management experience, ended up heading Kyiv's largest transport operator.

Influence on tenders: procurement for "Kyivpasrans"

Although the official topic of the investigation concerns not connections but management efficiency, it is worth noting that during Levchenko's tenure, "Kyivpasrans" concluded multi-million contracts for the procurement of rolling stock.

One of the most discussed cases is the purchase of trolleybuses from the "Bogdan Motors" corporation.

• Media noted that Petro Poroshenko was previously listed among the owners of this company.
• Later, control over "Bogdan" passed to his business partner Oleh Hladkovskyi (Svinarchuk), who held the post of First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council.

Contracts with this manufacturer raised questions about the transparency of tender procedures and potential conflicts of interest.