Ukraine anti-corruption agencies search National Bank headquarters and Governor Pyshnyi's office
On 21 October, detectives from Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) conducted searches at the National Bank of Ukraine, including in the office of Governor Andriy Pyshnyi, and at the residence of one NBU employee. NABU confirmed the searches were authorized, said no one had been detained or notified of suspicion, and declined to name the employee or disclose the underlying case. The NBU said it was continuing to operate normally and would provide further explanation once the procedural actions concluded.
Key points
- Searches took place on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, in the NBU building and at the residence of one NBU employee.
- People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak confirmed investigative actions were taking place in the office of NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyi; RFE/RL's Schemes project also reported searches directly in Pyshnyi's office.
- NABU stated the actions were authorized and carried out under current law, and declined further comment to protect pre-trial investigation secrecy.
- NABU said no one had been detained and no one had been served with a notice of suspicion in connection with the searches.
- The name of the employee whose residence was searched was not publicly disclosed; NABU did not officially confirm that the searches targeted Pyshnyi personally.
- The NBU confirmed the searches were taking place in its building and said it was continuing to work in normal operating mode.
- MP Zheleznyak linked the searches to cases involving Karpatnaftokhim and Sense Bank, citing 'Vasyl Veselyy, a watcher from Bankova' as a figure in both — a characterization NABU did not confirm.
Why it matters
Searches by Ukraine's main anti-corruption bodies at the central bank — and reportedly in the office of the sitting wartime governor — are an unprecedented step against the country's top monetary authority. With the NBU running the wartime financial system, the public reassurance that operations continue normally matters as much as the investigation itself. That lawmakers publicly identified the governor before NABU confirmed it also raises questions about leaks in sensitive probes.
What happened
On the morning of Wednesday, 21 October 2026, NABU detectives, under procedural guidance from SAPO prosecutors, carried out searches in the building of the National Bank of Ukraine and at the residence of one of its employees. People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak of the Holos faction confirmed via Telegram that investigative actions were taking place in the office of NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyi, and RFE/RL's Schemes project, citing sources, reported that NABU and SAPO were working directly in Pyshnyi's office. Zheleznyak also said, citing his sources, that the searches were not limited to Pyshnyi's workplace and were linked to cases involving Karpatnaftokhim and outside control of Sense Bank. The story was first reported earlier that morning by Ukrainska Pravda journalist Mykhailo Tkach, citing sources in political circles. The NBU issued a statement confirming that investigative actions by NABU were being conducted on its premises and said the bank was continuing to operate in its normal mode, promising further explanation once the actions concluded. NABU publicly confirmed only that the searches were authorized, were being carried out in accordance with current law, and concerned the NBU premises and one employee's residence; it did not officially confirm Pyshnyi as the target, did not name the employee whose residence was searched, and did not disclose the underlying case. No one was detained and no one was notified of suspicion, NABU said. People's Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko also reported on the searches.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets led with lawmakers Yaroslav Zheleznyak and Oleksiy Honcharenko and a Ukrainska Pravda journalist breaking the story, foregrounding the political-institutional weight of an anti-corruption action against the wartime central bank governor. They emphasized the broader anti-corruption context, drawing links some MPs made to Sense Bank and Karpatnaftokhim cases and to earlier NABU operations dubbed 'Forest Gump' and 'Midas'. The NBU was quoted directly confirming the searches and stressing that the bank continues to operate normally — institutional reassurance delivered from inside the institution itself.
How international sources describe it
Available international coverage, such as English-language agency reporting from Azerbaijan, summarized the event factually and did not foreground the wider NABU/SAP case context around Sense Bank and Karpatnaftokhim or the political backdrop surrounding the NBU governor. International items described the searches and NABU's procedural line without the political-institutional framing carried by Ukrainian outlets.
Where reporting differs
Sources diverged on three points. First, on whether NABU/SAPO officially confirmed that the searches targeted Pyshnyi personally: early reports and NABU's own later statement framed the searches as taking place at NBU premises and at one employee's residence, without publicly naming the governor, while MPs and the Schemes project identified Pyshnyi's office. Second, on the underlying case: MPs cited the Karpatnaftokhim and Sense Bank cases and named Vasyl Veselyy as a link, whereas NABU stated the underlying case was not being disclosed to protect pre-trial investigation secrecy. Third, on the scope of the searches: Zheleznyak said they extended beyond Pyshnyi's workplace to other addresses or NBU premises, while NABU's official line confirmed only the NBU building and one employee's residence.
Background
NABU and SAPO are Ukraine's main anti-corruption investigative bodies; their operations require judicial authorisation and are conducted under the procedural guidance of SAP prosecutors. Andriy Pyshnyi heads the National Bank of Ukraine, the country's central bank responsible for monetary policy. In August, Bloomberg reported that President Zelensky was dissatisfied with the NBU's tight monetary policy under Pyshnyi. Former Sense Bank supervisory board chair Shevki Adzhuner has said Pyshnyi recommended Vasyl Veselyy to the supervisory board; Pyshnyi denies this but acknowledges knowing Veselyy. Contextual reporting has linked the searches to the NABU/SAPO investigative line around Sense Bank, including the 'Midas' and 'Forest Gump' operations.