NABU Says Senior SBU Official Threatened Firearm Use and Obstructed Search
Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention said a senior Security Service of Ukraine official threatened to use a firearm and blocked detectives from conducting a court-authorized search. NABU did not disclose the location or underlying criminal case, while the SBU had not responded when the statement was published.
Key points
- NABU detectives conducted the search under an order from a judge of the Higher Anti-Corruption Court.
- A senior SBU official threatened to use a firearm and obstructed detectives from entering the search site.
- SBU special forces arrived at the location.
- NABU called the official’s actions and the special forces’ presence unacceptable interference with its detectives’ lawful procedural duties.
- Law-enforcement sources identified the official as General Serhii Duk; NABU did not name him publicly.
- NABU did not disclose the search location or the criminal case concerned.
- The SBU had not responded to NABU’s statement when the material was published on November 4.
Why it matters
The reported confrontation raises questions about whether NABU detectives can carry out legally authorized investigative actions when confronted by senior SBU officials and special forces. The lack of an immediate public response from the SBU leaves the circumstances of the incident unresolved.
What happened
NABU said its detectives began a search on November 4 under an order issued by a judge of the Higher Anti-Corruption Court. According to the agency, a senior SBU official threatened to use a firearm and refused to let detectives enter the premises. SBU special forces subsequently arrived at the search site. NABU characterized both the official’s conduct and the special forces’ presence as unacceptable interference with the detectives’ lawful procedural duties. The agency did not identify the official publicly, disclose the location, or explain which criminal case the search concerned. Law-enforcement sources cited by Ukrainian Pravda identified the official as General Serhii Duk. The SBU had not publicly responded when the material was published.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting focused on NABU’s formal allegations that an SBU official interfered with a legally authorized search and threatened to use a firearm. Some reports identified the official as General Serhii Duk on the basis of law-enforcement sources while noting that NABU did not name him in its public statement.
Background
The search was conducted by NABU detectives under an order from a judge of the Higher Anti-Corruption Court. Law-enforcement sources identified the senior SBU official as General Serhii Duk, although NABU’s statement did not name him. The incident was reported on the morning of November 4.