NABU investigates over 60 MPs and increases influence on Ukrainian politics - FT
Over 60 people's deputies of Ukraine are already under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and NABU's cases over the past year have led to a series of resignations among top officials and people from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's circle. Financial Times writes that the bureau, which a decade ago was created as a small anti-corruption body, has turned into one of the notable factors in Ukrainian politics.
Over 60 deputies under NABU investigation are the number told to FT by Oleksandr Abakumov, head of one of the bureau's main detective units. This does not mean that all of them have the status of suspects or accused.
A recent example of the impact of anti-corruption investigations is the situation around Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. After NABU released materials of Operation "Carthage", he submitted his resignation. Kravchenko himself denied involvement in the scheme and called his decision political.
NABU and SAPO stated that they exposed a criminal organization that, according to the investigation, was led by one of the heads of a structural unit of the Prosecutor General's Office. Its members allegedly systematically received money from fraudulent call centers in exchange for non-interference in their activities, and laundered the received funds through the purchase of property and other operations.
Cases have reached the president's inner circle
FT notes that over the past year, NABU investigations have affected not only mid-level officials but also people from the president's closest political circle.
In August, the president dismissed Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra after NABU began investigating a case of alleged money laundering and illegal acquisition of corporate assets. According to the investigation, the case also involved people's deputies, former parliamentarians, and managers of state-owned Sense Bank.
Earlier, a large-scale investigation around "Energoatom", known as Operation "Midas", led to a serious political crisis. In November 2025, NABU and SAPO conducted searches at then Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, after which he resigned. Subsequently, the investigation expanded to other high-ranking officials.
According to FT's estimates, operations of anti-corruption bodies have already led to the dismissal of two ministers, resignation of several senior representatives of the presidential team, and opening of cases against former partners and associates of Zelenskyy.
After the start of the great war, NABU changed its approach
NABU was created in 2015 as one of the key elements of Ukraine's new anti-corruption infrastructure. Initially, due to limited resources and insufficient experience, detectives mainly dealt with investigating already completed corruption schemes.
According to Abakumov, before the full-scale invasion, investigators had accumulated enough experience to increasingly document corruption directly as it was being committed. One of the main areas after 2022 became defense procurement and war-related state spending.
NABU investigated possible overpricing in army food procurement, cases in defense production, procurement of drones, construction of fortifications, and protection of energy infrastructure.
Such cases have enabled the bureau to move from investigations of past years to intervening in schemes involving current top officials.
Attempt to limit NABU's independence had the opposite effect
At the same time, the bureau's strengthening was accompanied by a sharp conflict with part of the state apparatus. In July 2025, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law that significantly increased the Prosecutor General's control over NABU and SAPO and effectively stripped the anti-corruption bodies of part of their independence guarantees.
The decision caused large-scale protests in Ukraine and sharp reaction from international partners. The European Commission later explicitly stated in its report that the law dismantled important guarantees of NABU and SAPO independence. A few days later, parliament passed a new law that returned previous powers to the anti-corruption bodies.
NABU itself believes that this crisis ultimately strengthened the institution: the bureau received public support from society and international partners. However, the European Commission emphasized that pressure on anti-corruption bodies remains a problem.
NABU sees risk of a new attack on the bureau
The large number of cases against politicians also creates risks for NABU itself. In a conversation with FT, Abakumov noted that the bureau is already investigating so many deputies that a further increase in their number could theoretically create a sufficient group in parliament for a new attempt to change legislation on anti-corruption bodies.
At the same time, some politicians accuse NABU of excessive politicization. In particular, representatives of "Batkivshchyna" have previously claimed that anti-corruption bodies could be used to pressure deputies. These statements came against the backdrop of a case in which SAPO accused party leader Yulia Tymoshenko of attempting to bribe parliamentarians. The bureau itself denies having its own political agenda.
Political analysts with whom FT spoke also do not consider NABU a separate political center, but acknowledge that its investigations are already noticeably affecting the work of parliament, personnel decisions, and officials' behavior.
NABU Director Semen Kryvonos rejects the claim that during war, the fight against corruption should be postponed. According to him, the opposition between victory in the war and the existence of an independent anti-corruption system is a false choice.
Based on materials from: Financial Times, Ukrainska Pravda, The Kyiv Independent
