$110,000 for a case about ties to the Russian Federation: SBU employees caught taking a bribe
They fought the scheme - and got caught up in it themselves: law enforcement officers were exposed for taking a bribe
27 April 2026 NABU detectives, under the procedural supervision of a SAP prosecutor, exposed the head of the investigative department of the SBU in Poltava region, his subordinate and a lawyer for receiving undue benefits. This was reported by SAP and NABU. According to the investigation, the officials acted through a lawyer-intermediary.
The investigation established that the said officials, through the intermediary lawyer, demanded from the owner of an enterprise 110 thousand US dollars. For this money they, according to the anti-corruption agencies, promised to secure the conclusion of a plea agreement in the case concerning the crime provided for in Part 4 of Art.111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – conducting business activities in cooperation with a state-aggressor. It concerned the supply of equipment to the RF through shell companies in Kazakhstan.
The suspects were exposed immediately after receiving the second part of the illicit benefit – 55 thousand US dollars. Primary investigative actions are currently underway.
This story is especially telling against the backdrop of the war: the case, which concerned a possible economic interaction with a state-aggressor, according to the investigation, could have turned into a way of making money for certain law enforcement officers. And here the question is no longer only about the specific suspects, but also about how effectively the state controls those who are supposed to fight crimes against Ukraine’s security.
Previously, we wrote:
- Logistics commander of the Air Force and head of the SBU in Zhytomyr region detained for bribery
- NABU undercover: Tymoshenko alleged agent activity by a Mykolaiv MP
- Millions on lamps: organizers of a corruption scheme in the communal sector to be tried in Mykolaiv
- Voting not for the idea: five MPs, including one from Mykolaiv region, received electronic bracelets and million bail amounts
- Scandal at “Zorya”: 1.4 billion disappeared through offshore companies, the investigation reached half the world
