 Soon after election of Viktor Yanukovych the President of Ukraine in 2010, Yakymenko was appointed the head of SBU in Sevastopol and a year later the head of SBU in Donetsk Oblast.During that time he was promoted to the rank of Major General of the Security Service of Ukraine.In 2012 Yakymenko was appointed the First Deputy Director of SBU and in 2013 Yanukovych appointed him the Director of Security Service of Ukraine without properly introducing him to the Ukrainian parliament.