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Ukraine’s security services (SBU) announced Monday the detention of an official from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on accusations of spying for Russia.
While numerous alleged spies have been arrested since Russia’s 2022 invasion, cases of espionage within government agencies are rare.
The SBU stated that the unnamed employee was from NABU’s “most elite, closed unit, ‘D-2,'” and was “spying for the Russian special services.”
Before the announcement, the SBU conducted searches at NABU offices in Kyiv and the country’s specialised anti-corruption prosecutor’s office.
Internal Review and Allegations
NABU acknowledged the incident, stating it was conducting an “internal review” and “investigating the legal basis of the actions taken, including the use of force against an employee.”
The SBU alleges that the suspect transferred classified information to a deputy head of security for Ukraine’s former president Viktor Yanukovich, who was ousted in 2014 and now resides in Russia.
A video released by the SBU showed armed, camouflaged men pulling the suspect from a car, forcing him to the ground, and handcuffing him. If convicted, the individual faces up to 15 years in prison.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau was established after the 2014 pro-European revolution as part of reforms aimed at aligning Kyiv more closely with Europe, amidst its conflict with Moscow-backed separatists in the east.
