In February 2022, he was chosen as Head of the Military Administration of Kryvyi Rih by Ukrainian authorities following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

He started his career as an assistant excavator driver at OJSC Southern Iron Ore Enrichment Works (PHZK), eventually becoming the mine master.

The next year, he became the general director of Central Iron Ore Enrichment Works (TsHZK), a position he served in until 2006.

As a People's Deputy, Vilkul achieved the redistribution of emission taxes in favour of local government budgets.

Amidst the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election, he served as head of the electoral headquarters of Viktor Yanukovych in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

In a 2011 poll, Vilkul was chosen as winner of the national "Person of the Year" award, having won the category "Regional Leader."

On 24 December 2012, by decree by President Viktor Yanukovych, Vilkul was appointed Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine.

[7] Vilkul's role as Vice Prime Minister included development of infrastructure, introduction of modern electronics to government offices, affordable housing development, modernisation of housing and communal services, expansion of the tourism industry, and preparation and holding of finals of the European Basketball Championship "EuroBasket 2015".

[2] Vilkul was re-elected as a People's Deputy in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, this time as a member of Opposition Bloc.

[15] The election was eventually won by Vilkul's fellow Kryvyi Rih native Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the second round, defeating incumbent Petro Poroshenko.

[18] However, the party won only 3.23% of the vote, thus failing to reach the 5% election threshold and causing Vilkul to lose his seat in the Verkhovna Rada.

[19] On 27 February 2022, three days after the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vilkul was appointed as Head of the Military Administration of Kryvyi Rih.

[21] Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine Vilkul changed his view and started to support Ukrainian membership of NATO.

"[21] In an interview with Ukrainska Pravda on 13 April 2023, Vilkul stated that he believed that the end of the Russo-Ukrainian War "can only be brought closer by the number of coffins that will go from here to Russia.