Ukraine's NABU alleges officials took bribes to shield scams

As of 2:26 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026

Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said Wednesday, Nov. 4, that it had exposed a criminal organization that allegedly paid senior law enforcement officials to let fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses operate unhindered.

According to NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), the group was allegedly led by a person with multiple prior convictions who recruited serving senior officials of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Office of the Prosecutor General and the National Police, as well as members of the criminal underworld. At least 12 people have been implicated, NABU said. Its statement on the case, which it called Operation Carthage, did not name any of them.

Under the alleged protection of law enforcement, members of the group facilitated scam call centers targeting Ukrainian and foreign citizens, drug sales and the illegal production of counterfeit cigarettes and forged foreign currency, NABU alleged. Investigators also allege that members organized assaults, kidnappings and beatings in the group's interests. The alleged activity included dozens of call centers employing 2,700 people, NABU said, according to Reuters.

NABU noted that under Ukraine's Constitution, a person is presumed not guilty until found guilty by a court. No one has been convicted in the case.

Agencies respond

The SBU confirmed that investigators were searching the premises of some of its employees and said it was cooperating with the probe, Reuters reported. The National Police said they had suspended the officers under investigation, while warning against "premature conclusions." The Prosecutor General's Office said it was ready to cooperate but was unaware of the alleged illegal activities by the employees implicated, according to Reuters.

A widening probe

The investigation, first made public in September, forced the resignation of former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko after authorities accused a subordinate of helping run the call centers, Reuters reported. Kravchenko was not charged with a crime. He said on social media that the investigation was politically motivated against the SBU and aimed at destabilizing the country, according to Reuters.

The new allegations threaten to reignite a long-running conflict between NABU and the SBU, a powerful agency answerable to the president, Reuters reported. Tensions have been acute since last year, when the SBU arrested two anti-corruption detectives in a campaign NABU's supporters saw as a pretext to roll back the agencies' powers.

Tackling high-level corruption is key to Ukraine's bid to join the European Union and to keep receiving financial aid as it fights Russia's invasion, Reuters noted.