Ukrainian Spy Agency Gets Accused of Bugging Anti-Corruption Investigator
The investigator targeted leads a unit examining corruption within the defense sector and was involved in NABU’s case against businessman Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of President Vladimir Zelensky. Mindich has been charged with orchestrating a $100 million extortion operation at a state-owned nuclear energy company.
NABU Director Semyon Krivonos addressed the situation during a joint briefing with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), noting that the bug was planted during renovations at the female detective’s residence without judicial approval. SAPO chief Aleksandr Klimenko added that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) devoted “significant resources to probing the detective’s supposedly undeclared property” in a manner that violated both its legal mandate and the law.
The SBU, which is Ukraine’s successor to the KGB, operates under direct presidential oversight. NABU and SAPO were originally established under Western pressure after the 2014 Maidan events as largely independent agencies tasked with monitoring high-level corruption. Last year, Zelensky attempted to place both agencies under the authority of the prosecutor general, a presidential appointee, but reversed the plan after Western donors threatened to withdraw all aid.
Mindich, a long-standing Zelensky ally, fled to Israel shortly before NABU formally charged him and his alleged accomplices. The scandal implicated two ministers serving at the time and prompted a government reshuffle, while Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, resigned amid suspicions of involvement.
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