The fight against corruption has intensified in Ukraine: why the SBU, SBI, BEB, National Police, and prosecutor's office play the main role, and not NABU
Kyiv • UNN
The appointment of Ruslan Kravchenko as Prosecutor General became a catalyst for a wave of anti-corruption investigations. Law enforcement agencies show high activity, while NABU and SAP remain in the background.
The appointment of Ruslan Kravchenko as Prosecutor General of Ukraine on June 17, 2025, became a catalyst for a wave of anti-corruption investigations across the country. At the center of this activation are law enforcement agencies: the SBU, SBI, National Police, Bureau of Economic Security, and the Prosecutor's Office. These are the bodies that today demonstrate the largest number of detentions, searches, and notices of suspicion, UNN reports.
In contrast, specialized anti-corruption institutions — NABU and SAP — currently show extremely low activity. Apart from the suspicion against Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, which is linked to political motives among other things, other revelations listed on the NABU website include: inflated prices by "Ukrzaliznytsia" for paint and linoleum by UAH 15 million, abuse of disposal of 3 hectares of land in Zakarpattia region, as well as a bribe to a judge of one of the local courts in the amount of "10 thousand unnamed monetary units for a court decision and another 5 thousand for its immediate execution."
High-profile cases: customs and Ministry of Defense under attack
Among the most high-profile anti-corruption cases of the last two weeks is today's large-scale special operation at customs offices in several regions of Ukraine, involving all key agencies: SBI, BES, SBU, and the National Police, under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office. Law enforcement officers uncovered schemes for selling forged international organization certificates, including OSCE (costing $7,000 each). Facilitation of tobacco smugglers and "privileged" customs clearance of cars without paying customs duties were also documented.
Prior to that, it was announced that a former official of the Ministry of Defense was served with a notice of suspicion for supplying unsuitable missile systems, which, according to the investigation, caused damages to the state amounting to UAH 90 million.
Another law enforcement revelation concerns the purchase of large-caliber rifles that were delivered incomplete. The amount of damages is over UAH 33 million.
In addition to the notices of suspicion, there are also financial results: in one of the cases related to corruption in the Ministry of Defense, the suspects have already returned UAH 330 million in damages to the state budget.
Also, together with the SBU, the Prosecutor General's Office exposed a group of Chinese citizens who tried to steal secret documents regarding the "Neptune" missile systems — this is the type of weapon that destroyed the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser "Moskva."
By the way, recently the Prosecutor General's Office announced the conviction of an FSB agent to 15 years in prison. The agent was recruited by Russia in 2024 and worked at the State Space Agency of Ukraine. He was supposed to provide the enemy with information about the location of strategic objects. The official was detained right at a meeting in the Ministry.
Other high-profile cases
Prosecutors, together with the SBU, served a notice of suspicion to the director of one of the departments of the Kyiv City State Administration. According to the investigation, the official purchased diesel generators at inflated prices, causing damages to the capital's budget of over UAH 4.8 million.
Another case concerns the evasion of UAH 344 million in taxes by former officials of MAU airline. As part of the proceedings, seven aircraft were seized.
Business protection: changing approaches of the Prosecutor General's Office
In parallel with the clean-ups in the public sector, the Prosecutor General's Office announces a change in approaches to business. An audit initiated by Prosecutor General Kravchenko revealed that as of early summer, over 20,000 criminal proceedings had been opened against entrepreneurs in Ukraine. According to him, 3,756 such cases have already been closed. These are mostly long-standing "cold cases" that had no judicial prospects.
In addition, Kravchenko initiated a communication reform: now, business contact is made directly with the Prosecutor General, his deputies, and locally — with the heads of regional prosecutor's offices. Decorative "business units" have been removed from the staff.
Thus, the active phase of the anti-corruption struggle in Ukraine is currently taking place under the leadership of law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor's office. NABU and SAP, although formally remaining key institutions for combating top corruption, are effectively relegated to the background. This indicates a shift in emphasis within the law enforcement system and a strengthening of the role of the Prosecutor General's Office as a coordinating center after personnel changes.
By the way
Recent sociological surveys indicate a high public demand for a real fight against corruption. Respondents rank the problem of corruption alongside the threat of war as one of the key challenges for the country. At the same time, 40% of respondents believe that anti-corruption bodies: NABU, SAP, and NACP are responsible for maintaining a high level of corruption.