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176 reports to "StopTysk", but not a single formal complaint about pressure from officials — what does it mean?

While social media report pressure on public procurement, the Office of the Prosecutor General records a disconnect: there are public accusations, but no formal requests to launch investigations. We examine the mechanism and the risks.

Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik

By Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik

February 9, 2026 · 2 min read

176 reports to "StopTysk", but not a single formal complaint about pressure from officials — what does it mean?

The public discussion around tenders and corruption risks continues, but law-enforcement response requires a different kind of instrument — an official complaint. That is how Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko explained the situation after five months of the "StopTysk" portal's operation.

What the "StopTysk" portal showed

In the first five months of operation, the portal (stoptysk.gp.gov.ua), launched in September 2025, received 176 reports of possible unlawful interference in commercial activity. At the same time, not a single complaint documenting the extortion of money or pressure by officials specifically in the course of public procurement has been registered — the vast majority of reports concerned pressure from law-enforcement agencies.

The portal gives businesses the ability to obtain automatic registration of a complaint, track its consideration via a dashboard, and sign in through the state system Diia, which ensures user verification and data security.

"In the news feed there is 'pressure' through tender procurements, but in the official complaints we can act on, it does not exist. Publicity is important, but a post or comment does not trigger a protection mechanism. A complaint does."

— Ruslan Kravchenko, Prosecutor General

Why an official complaint matters

Public posts mobilize public and media attention, but legally they do not provide grounds for initiating procedural actions. An official complaint with verified information triggers the registration of proceedings, the collection of evidence, and the verification of financial transactions. Without this instrument, even a large wave of accusations risks remaining at the level of rhetoric.

That is why government services that combine publicity and the formalization of a complaint (automatic registration, dashboard, verification through Diia) are not a technical detail but a key element of the accountability mechanism.

Operation "Midas" — a reminder of the scale of risks

Another confirmation: on 9 November 2025 NABU and SAP, as part of Operation "Midas," uncovered a "shlagbaum" scheme at NAEC "Energoatom," where contractors were forced to pay kickbacks of 10–15% of contract amounts and payments were delayed for up to six months, keeping suppliers dependent. This is an example of how real schemes are disguised as operational procedures and why documented complaints are needed for a systemic response.

What this means for businesses and citizens

Publicity and oversight are good, but effectiveness depends on combining two things: public resonance and a formalized complaint. If you are a manager or a business representative and have reason to believe you are being forced to pay or that payments are being blocked, the shortest way to prompt a law-enforcement response is to submit a complaint through "StopTysk" with verification via Diia.

The expert community agrees: the fight against corruption requires both transparency and procedure. Public messages attract attention, but only official statements allow that attention to be turned into investigative action. Whether business and civil society will use this instrument as actively as they use social networks is a question on which the effectiveness of future investigations will depend.

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May 26, 2026