NABU and SAPO investigators exposed a criminal organization of at least 12 people, including officials from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the National Police, and the Prosecutor General’s Office. This group allegedly shielded 52 scam call centers that employed 2,700 people to cheat victims in Ukraine and abroad. The network allegedly paid law enforcement contacts $7,000 per call center every month in cryptocurrency, which would total about $364,000 monthly for 52 centers. The organization allegedly had access to confidential databases, surveillance cameras and advance word of searches. One wallet for law enforcement contacts allegedly received 3.75 million USDT between October 16, 2025, and April 25, 2026. The criminal organization, which included Yegor Burkin, controlled the U420 shop chain and a plant for printing counterfeit euros. Burkin, identified as a Russian citizen and founder of the Khimprom drug-trafficking organization, also known as "Mexican," allegedly proposed throwing acid on Denys Bihus to make him "unpresentable." This proposal followed investigations by Bihus.Info into the U420 shop chain regarding the sale of products containing synthetic drugs. Other suspects allegedly discussed harming blogger Ihor Lachenkov and attacking a veteran with acid or hammers. The group discussed paying $500,000 to a government minister and $200,000 to an intermediary to stop a regulatory change, as well as organizing kidnappings and assaults for clients.
Law enforcement officials face detention
The intimidation of investigators by state officials constitutes a blatant obstruction of justice. On November 4, a senior SBU official allegedly threatened detectives with a firearm and blocked a court-authorized search. Ukrainska Pravda reported that police later detained Major General Serhii Duka, the first deputy head of the SBU’s Department for Protection of National Statehood, though NABU has not publicly confirmed this detention. The agency also searched the premises of Colonel Anton Kravchuk, head of the SBU’s internal security directorate, and Oleksandr Kovalchuk, Duka’s deputy, after SBU special forces arrived at the scene. The High Anti-Corruption Court placed Volodymyr Tsenov, the first deputy head of the National Police’s Strategic Investigations Department, in custody for two months and set bail at Hr 15 million ($330,000). Investigators identify Tsenov as "Price," an official they say covered for the call centers. The court also remanded Vitalii Rybalka in custody for two months without the right to bail, though Rybalka denies his involvement in the group’s violent crimes such as torture. SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad dismissed two senior officials implicated in the case and said the service provides "full support" to the investigations. The National Police suspended the implicated officers.
Political consequences and investigations
The corruption scandal brought down Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who left the country in September. On November 4, the High Anti-Corruption Court ordered Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalskyi to open a case into David Arakhamia, the head of the parliamentary faction for President Zelensky’s Servant of the People party. This follows a complaint by the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC) in October regarding Arakhamia’s possible involvement in buying votes in parliament. In late December, five lawmakers from the Servant of the People party, including Yurii Kisel, were charged in a related case. Arakhamia told the Kyiv Independent he "hadn’t had time to look into the matter." The Prosecutor General’s Office had previously refused to register the AntAC complaint in both February and October. This investigation occurs as Ukraine works toward rule-of-law benchmarks for its EU accession bid due in the first half of 2027. Arakhamia, who is part of the negotiating team for peace talks and saw his influence grow after the dismissal of President’s Office head Andriy Yermak last fall, previously met with Kravchenko on September 7.
