Ukraine uncovers Russia-linked crime network allegedly backed by security and police officials
Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies said they had exposed a Russia-linked criminal network that operated call centres and other illegal businesses under law-enforcement cover. Senior officials from the Security Service of Ukraine and National Police were detained, and the allegations are prompting scrutiny of institutional accountability and renewed calls for law-enforcement reform.
Key points
- On November 4, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced the exposure of the network during Operation Carthago.
- Investigators allege the network facilitated call-centre fraud, drug sales, illicit cigarette production and counterfeit foreign currency.
- Four people were charged on November 5 with participating in the drug-trafficking network.
- The SBU general Serhii Duka and senior National Police officials Volodymyr Tsenov and Oleksandr Demianchuk were detained.
- During a search, SBU special forces allegedly pointed guns at investigators while Duka destroyed two phones and a hard drive with a hammer.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky called the SBU findings shameful and unacceptable, announced dismissals and said further personnel decisions were being prepared.
- Daria Kalenyuk warned of possible renewed attempts to undermine anti-corruption institutions and called for independent, merit-based appointments.
Why it matters
The investigation alleges that officials from Ukraine’s Security Service, National Police and Prosecutor General’s Office were involved in or supported criminal operations. Detentions involving a senior SBU general and police officials raise questions about accountability inside key law-enforcement and security institutions, while the disclosures have intensified pressure to reform oversight and appoint senior officials through independent, merit-based processes.
What happened
On November 4, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced that they had uncovered a Russia-linked drug-trafficking network during Operation Carthago. According to investigators, the organisation used connections to law-enforcement and security officials to operate call centres, sell drugs, produce illicit cigarettes and manufacture counterfeit foreign currency. Also on November 4, NACCU officers detained SBU General Serhii Duka, the first deputy head of the Security Service’s Department of National State Security Protection, as well as senior National Police officials Volodymyr Tsenov and Oleksandr Demianchuk and boxing club founder Oleksandr Rybalko.
On November 5, the anti-corruption agencies announced charges against five participants in the criminal network. On November 6, the NACCU said SBU special forces had pointed guns at investigators during a search at Duka’s premises, while Duka went onto a balcony and used a hammer to destroy two phones and a hard drive.
Zelensky described the SBU-related findings as shameful and unacceptable, announced dismissals and said further personnel decisions were being prepared. NACCU chief Daria Kalenyuk said the findings showed a high level of professionalism and warned that anti-corruption bodies could face renewed interference.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting centres on alleged links between organised crime and senior officials from the SBU, National Police and Prosecutor General’s Office. It also highlights Kalenyuk’s warning that anti-corruption institutions may face renewed interference, her comparison of the alleged crimes with 1990s banditry, and proposed reforms based on independent and transparent appointments of senior law-enforcement officials. Zelensky’s reaction and the reported SBU dismissals are presented as a direct institutional response to the findings.
Where reporting differs
The available accounts consistently present the links between officials and the criminal organisation as allegations, investigators’ claims or assertions by Daria Kalenyuk. The supplied material does not establish a final judicial finding of guilt for the detained officials.
Background
Operation and case “Carthago” concerns allegations that a Russia-linked criminal network relied on ties within Ukraine’s law-enforcement and security institutions to carry out illegal activity. The claims concerning Andrii Osypov, who was detained in July 2026, and the figure nicknamed “the Mexican” were presented as investigators’ version at the time of the reports. Ukraine’s parliament reportedly had bills on open selection of the prosecutor general and head of the State Bureau of Investigation, while several initiatives concerning the National Police were also under discussion.