FT: How Ukraine’s anti-graft bureau grew into "Sword of Damocles"

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has emerged as a powerful force in wartime politics, investigating more than 60 lawmakers and targeting senior officials close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Financial Times reports.

The bureau, established in 2015, has conducted high-profile investigations that have contributed to the resignation or dismissal of two cabinet ministers, a senior presidential adviser and Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff. All those figures deny wrongdoing.

The latest case involved prosecutor-general Ruslan Kravchenko, who resigned on Monday after NABU released a 35-minute video alleging that an official in his office protected a call centre network accused of defrauding Europeans. Kravchenko has denied wrongdoing.

NABU detective unit head Oleksandr Abakumov told the FT that the agency had investigated more than 60 lawmakers.

“There’s a constant sword of Damocles over the politicians now,” said Balázs Jarábik, a former EU diplomat and Ukraine analyst with R.Politik.

NABU initially focused on investigating past corruption cases, but its detectives became more experienced before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, allowing the agency to target suspected wrongdoing while it was taking place.

“We stop the activities of those officials currently in office, rather than waiting for them to be removed,” Abakumov said.

The war has increased pressure on the agency to investigate corruption in the defence sector, including alleged kickbacks and inflated prices involving food, housing, drones and tank armour.

NABU has also faced attempts to curb its independence. A bill backed by Zelenskyy’s office last year would have significantly reduced the bureau’s independence, prompting protests and pressure from Western allies before the president abandoned the proposal.

The bureau subsequently investigated alleged kickbacks linked to contracts for fortifications protecting energy infrastructure. The operation contributed to the dismissal of the energy and justice ministers.

NABU also searched the home of Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff and close ally, who later became a suspect in a probe into alleged money laundering. Yermak denies the allegations.

The bureau continues to face pressure from rival law enforcement agencies, while some lawmakers accuse it of pursuing political objectives.

NABU director Semen Kryvonos rejected such claims, saying: “that Ukraine must choose between winning the war and keeping an independent anti-corruption system. There is no such choice.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev