Ukraine uncovers alleged bribery network protecting fraudulent call centres

Why it matters

The allegations implicate senior officials across the SBU, National Police and prosecution service in allegedly protecting illegal businesses. The reported obstruction of an NABU search raises questions about institutional cooperation and independence, while roughly 70 searches indicate a large-scale anti-corruption operation. The case also links alleged call-centre corruption to a separate $1 million extortion case involving Andrii Osypov.

What happened

NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor said Operation Carthage exposed a criminal organisation that systematically paid senior law-enforcement officials for protection of fraudulent call centres and other illegal ventures. Those allegedly involved in the scheme included serving SBU, National Police and Office of the General Prosecutor officials and members of the criminal underworld.

NABU announced the finding on 4 November 2026 and conducted or coordinated a large number of searches. The agency reported that an SBU official threatened detectives with a firearm and prevented them from entering a site being searched. Authorities also linked the search activity to the case of Andrii Osypov, who is held in an NABU temporary detention facility and is suspected of extorting $1 million from a Russian citizen. According to reports, investigators found cover registration plates, identification documents and other SBU paperwork during searches connected with his case.

NABU did not initially name the senior officials involved in Operation Carthage. Ukrainian media later identified General Serhii Duk as the SBU official who allegedly threatened detectives, although this had not been officially confirmed by NABU.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian coverage has focused on the institutional significance of the operation, particularly alleged bribery links within the SBU, police and prosecution and the reported obstruction of an NABU search. It has also highlighted the scale of the operation, with about 70 searches, links to the Osypov case and broader scrutiny of senior law-enforcement officials. Earlier investigations of a call-centre protection group and the dismissal of Ruslan Kravchenko as prosecutor general provide additional context.

Where reporting differs

Several sources identified General Serhii Duk as the SBU official who allegedly threatened detectives with a firearm, but NABU did not officially name him. Accounts of the search site also differ: some reported a firearm threat and obstruction by an SBU official, while journalists present at the location said there was no armed confrontation and that searches had not yet begun. Information about searches at Anton Kravchuk and other senior SBU officials appeared in source-based reporting but had not been officially confirmed at the time of publication.

Background

In August 2025, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor said they had exposed a five-person group led by Serhii Kropyva, an Office of the General Prosecutor official, that protected fraudulent call centres. Kropyva was suspected of laundering 89.9 million hryvnias, and he and Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko were sent under bail for two months. President Volodymyr Zelensky granted Serhii Duk the rank of major general in February 2026 and dismissed Ruslan Kravchenko as prosecutor general on 15 September 2025.