The State Customs Service will conduct large-scale inspections in the humanitarian aid sector
The primary task of the State Customs Service of Ukraine at present is to combat large-scale schemes that cause significant losses to the state budget.
Among the agency’s key priorities are eliminating schemes involving the illegal use of preferential treatment, manipulation of the customs value of goods, changes to product classification codes, and abuses during the import of humanitarian aid.
“This includes the unlawful use of certain preferences, the movement of goods under the guise of humanitarian aid, which are then sold on the territory of Ukraine; the deliberate alteration of product classification codes, and the underreporting of customs value. This is a priority for us right now,” Mandziy emphasized.
The head of the customs service noted that humanitarian aid remains one of the most shadowed sectors today.
According to him, customs officials are uncovering cases where charitable organizations conduct foreign exchange transactions to purchase goods abroad, after which the cargo is imported into Ukraine under a simplified procedure for processing humanitarian aid.
“We are finding cases where charitable foundations conduct foreign exchange transactions, goods arrive, and then they are imported into Ukraine’s customs territory—and the foreign exchange transaction is closed via a simplified customs procedure that takes about 10 minutes to complete. And the goods are not subject to tariff or non-tariff regulatory measures.
But whether these are truly goods intended for people in need, or highly liquid goods purchased abroad that are then resold, remains a question. Unfortunately, such cases do exist,” explained the head of the State Customs Service.
The agency emphasizes that countering the illegal use of humanitarian mechanisms and combating customs abuses remain among the key priorities for filling the state budget and ensuring transparency in foreign economic activity.
This was stated by the head of the State Customs Service, Orest Mandziy, in an interview with Censor.NET.
As a reminder, the State Customs Service of Ukraine will launch a new phase of a pilot project aimed at centralized verification of customs declarations starting June 8, 2026. This time, used vehicles imported into the country under preferential trade regimes will be subject to special and enhanced monitoring.
An alternative bill, No. 15195-1, has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada, which provides for customs clearance benefits for military personnel. The document proposes exempting active-duty military personnel and those mobilized from paying VAT and excise taxes when importing cars into Ukraine.
