Existence and Independence of NABU and SAPO in Likely to Be Framed as Ukraine’s National Security Threat

Mass raids by security forces targeting NABU and SAP: a coordinated attempt to undermine independent institutions. Anti-Corruption Action center warns.

The mass investigative actions by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), and the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) against the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) appear to be a continuation of pressure and an attempt to dismantle Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption institutions.

Both NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) have issued statements clarifying the situation. They confirm that the SBI is also conducting raids, all reportedly sanctioned by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.

These statements make it clear: the actions of the SBU and SBI are aimed at obstructing the work of NABU and SAP. No alternative explanation seems plausible.

Several indicators support this conclusion:

🔹 First, most of the search warrants cite involvement of certain individuals in past traffic accidents as justification. In only a few cases are “possible ties to Russia” mentioned. These incidents date back quite a while, yet the SBU, SBI, and PGO appear to have conveniently “synchronized” their efforts only now.

At least 70 searches targeting 15 NABU employees have been confirmed so far.

🔹 Second, according to NABU, many of the searches are being conducted without court authorization. Ukrainian law permits warrantless searches only under two conditions: 1) an immediate threat to life and health, or 2) risk of evidence being destroyed. It is unclear how traffic accident evidence could be destroyed at home, particularly years after the incidents.

🔹 Third, the SBU has suddenly launched an unscheduled inspection of state secrets handling procedures at NABU and SAP. According to SAP, this inspection began without the formal notification required by law. This suggests the pressure is directed not only at individual officials but at the institutions as a whole.

Such inspections could allow the SBU access to sensitive information about ongoing investigations—including those targeting top government officials.

🔹 Fourth, during one of the raids, physical force was reportedly used against a NABU detective, despite no resistance on his part. This raises concerns that force may have been applied deliberately to produce “striking images.”

Notably, these raids coincided with official foreign trips by the heads of NABU and SAP to the United Kingdom. It is highly unlikely this timing was accidental or unknown to the SBU.

The backdrop to this crackdown includes a number of politically sensitive cases pursued by NABU and SAP in recent weeks:

•  A recent corruption indictment was issued against former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, a figure reportedly close to President Zelenskyy and his Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak.

•  Investigations have moved closer to the president’s inner circle, including his business associate Mykola Mindich, whose relative was detained by NABU.

•  NABU has issued bribery indictments against multiple MPs from the ruling “Servant of the People” party and illegal enrichment charges against Antimonopoly Committee head Pavlo Kyrylenko.

•   NABU investigations have also implicated a number of current and former SBU officials.

This sweeping operation, conducted with the explicit sanction of Prosecutor General Kravchenko, raises serious questions. It appears Kravchenko is fulfilling the very role he was appointed for by Yermak and Zelenskyy: to neutralize independent anti-corruption institutions that threaten the president’s inner circle.

What’s next?

There is a growing likelihood that the very existence and independence of NABU and SAPO will be reframed as a “national security threat.” The matter may be escalated to the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), and the government may attempt to push through legislative changes aimed at either dismantling the institutions outright or turning them into pro-government satellites.

UPDATES

More Evidence That the SBU and SBI Raids on NABU Detectives Are Political Pressure Tactics After Probes Into Zelensky’s Inner Circle

New details further support the claim that recent actions by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) targeting NABU detectives are not routine legal procedures — but rather a coordinated effort to pressure the agency following its investigations into individuals close to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Here’s what’s Anti-Corruption Action center known so far:

🔹 The SBU has charged three NABU employees in connection with traffic accidents (DUI-related incidents, according to the SBI’s public statements). The bureau described serious consequences and injuries from these crashes – but crucial context was missing:

All the accidents occurred years ago – two of them back in 2021, and the third in 2023.

Bringing forward criminal charges now, simultaneously and across unrelated cases, suggests a highly coordinated and politically motivated effort rather than a pursuit of justice.

NABU employees did not flee the scenes. On the contrary, they provided first aid, called emergency services, and fully cooperated with police. This is supported by the findings of NABU’s Internal Control Department.

This contrasts starkly with high-profile cases involving Prosecutor Andriy Molochny and Judge Oleksiy Tandyr – both accused of driving under the influence, causing fatal accidents, and fleeing the scene. NABU staffers, in contrast, followed protocol and stayed to assist.

Given that, the SBI’s decision to request the harshest pre-trial measure – detention without bail – years after the accidents raises serious questions. What ongoing risk to the investigation justifies such severity?

It remains unclear what exactly the SBI hoped to uncover by launching searches AT HOMES in connection with these years-old incidents.

The agency has not provided a rationale for its timing or approach.

EMPR