Topic: Corruption
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NABU suspects Ministry of Justice forensic experts of false valuation for SBU official's wife
Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies NABU and SAP have notified forensic experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise (KNDISE) of the Ministry of Justice that they are suspected of producing knowingly false conclusions about the market value of an elite apartment belonging to the wife of a senior Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) official. The case centers on an apartment bought for 21.6 million UAH whose contract value was recorded at 12.8 million UAH, and on a subsequent KNDISE expertise that valued it at 12.3 million UAH. NABU says the experts ignored a recall of their appointment and backdated the conclusion, using the case to push for an independent expert institute under its own authority.
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Ukraine anti-corruption agencies complete investigation into ex-justice minister Stefanishyna
NABU and SAPO have finished the pre-trial investigation into former Vice Prime Minister and Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna, who is suspected of illicit enrichment of more than UAH 13.9 million and of filing false declarations. The case file has been opened to her defense for review, after which court hearings are expected to begin. The case centers on two Kyiv apartments worth nearly UAH 11 million, an undeclared apartment in the Lvivska Ploshcha complex, and an undeclared Mercedes-Benz.
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Ukraine's SBU dismantles seven illegal arms trafficking channels across multiple regions
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), working with the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) and the National Police, said on 15 October it had shut down seven channels of illegal weapons and ammunition sales in several regions of the country. Suspects include active-duty servicemen, a village council deputy and a local repeat offender; seized items range from Russian AK-12 assault rifles to nearly 390 kilograms of explosives.
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EU opens two more clusters for Moldova and Ukraine on the same day
On 13 October, the EU opened the "Internal Market" and "Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth" clusters in Moldova's accession negotiations at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg, bringing Moldova to four of six clusters open. On the same day, the EU Council opened two clusters in Ukraine's negotiations after the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, approved amendments to the education law to lift Hungary's veto.
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Syrskyi in first major interview since dismissal: Ukraine's war outcome uncertain, Kursk operation a success
Former Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, dismissed by President Zelenskyy in July, gave his first major interview to the BBC in which he said it is impossible to say with certainty whether Ukraine is winning or losing the war, defended the 2024 Kursk operation as a successful and necessary maneuver, and detailed his procurement-related disagreements with former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. He denied issuing any ultimatum to Fedorov and said the decision to remove him rested solely with the president. The interview was published on 13 October 2026.
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Ukraine's top investigator faces questions on brother's real estate, deflects to family
Oleksiy Sukhachov, director of Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation (DBR), spoke for the first time to journalists from Slidstvo.Info about an investigation into 143 apartments and office premises in Kharkiv acquired by his brother, businessman Oleksandr Sukhachov. Encountered on the morning of October 8 at a public sports ground in Kyiv, Sukhachov called the information "not corresponding to reality" and told reporters to contact his brother. The encounter was physically obstructed by unidentified men in black, one of whom identified himself as a law-enforcement officer. The interview followed an earlier pre-publication court ban on the investigation that triggered a multi-outlet solidarity action and condemnation from international press-freedom groups.
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Full 20 million hryvnias bail posted for ex-presidential aide Iryna Mudra in "Forest Gump" case
The full court-set bail of 20 million hryvnias has been posted for Iryna Mudra, a former deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and a suspect in the "Forest Gump" money-laundering investigation led by NABU and SAP. The Higher Anti-Corruption Court (ВАКС) confirmed the payment on 8 October, allowing her release from pretrial detention. Mudra's defense had previously failed in an attempt to reduce the bail to 12.5 million hryvnias.
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Ukraine receives new €1.2–1.24 billion EU tranche for Ukrainian-made drones and missiles
Ukraine has received a new tranche of approximately €1.2 billion from the European Union under the Ukraine Support Loan, announced on 7 October by Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky. The European Commission specifies the amount as €1.24 billion. The funds are earmarked for Ukrainian-made drones, drone ammunition, drone interceptors and missiles, bringing total defense financing under the program to nearly €13 billion.
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Ukraine and Germany advance war risk insurance and 'Industrial Ramstein' cooperation in Kyiv talks
Ukrainian Economy Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko met German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche in Kyiv on 4 October 2026. The two ministers focused on an updated war risk insurance mechanism with payouts of up to $10 million and the joint 'Industrial Ramstein' industrial initiative, for which Germany is providing €30 million in start-up financing. Separately, Reiche said she pressed President Volodymyr Zelensky on anti-corruption reforms and the need for measurable results.
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EU rejects Ukraine's request to front-load 2027 funding, urges reforms to unlock €34 billion in 2026
The European Union has turned down Ukraine's request to receive part of its 2027 financial support early, telling Kyiv instead to complete promised reforms that could unlock about €34 billion still available this year. Ukraine had asked the European Commission to front-load tranches from a €90 billion EU loan agreed in late 2025 to cover an estimated $27 billion defense funding gap. So far in 2026, Ukraine has received only €15.7 billion from the loan, with slow reform implementation cited as a key reason for the delay.
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EU and Ukraine say 2026 budget and defence needs can be covered; Commission denies any financing gap
On 1 October 2026 the European Commission and Ukraine issued a joint statement saying they had identified the means to cover Ukraine's 2026 budget and defence needs and outlining the steps needed for timely disbursement. The next day Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said the EU and Ukraine had jointly concluded there is no external financing gap for 2026, and the Commission disbursed a €2.9 billion tranche under the Ukraine Facility. The Financial Times reported that EU Commissioners formally declined Ukraine's request to front-load part of the 2027 loan, linking further payments to reforms.
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Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Kravchenko registered residence in Vienna after leaving Ukraine
Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and his wife Oleksandra registered their residence at an office address in central Vienna, according to Ukrainska Pravda, citing documents from Austria's Central Register of Residence. The registration followed Kravchenko's departure from Ukraine on 14 September, his suspension by President Zelensky the same evening, and the Verkhovna Rada's 317-vote acceptance of his dismissal on 15 September. Kravchenko remained abroad after his self-arranged business trip to Paris ended on 18 September and tendered his resignation on 21 September.
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Ukraine ministry probes restoration department director over alleged bribe linked to previous job
Investigative actions took place on 23 September at Ukraine's Ministry of Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport over allegations that Viktor Steblinenko, Director of the Restoration Policy Department, received illicit benefit in connection with his previous position. The ministry says the case is unrelated to his current duties and has moved to suspend him and launch an internal audit.
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Former Ukrainian prosecutor general Kravchenko fired from prosecution service after failing to return from abroad
Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who left Ukraine on a self-arranged five-day business trip in mid-September, had not returned to work at the Office of the Prosecutor General by 14:00 on 21 September, three days after his trip officially ended. He had already been suspended by the president on 14 September and dismissed by parliament on 15 September, and on 21 September he was formally removed from the prosecution service by acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky.
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Verkhovna Rada faces 26-day gap in plenary sessions as MP and press service clash over whether parliament is on break
The Verkhovna Rada will not hold plenary sessions from 17 September to 13 October, according to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak. The parliament's press service disputes this framing, saying the Rada continues to work through committees and other bodies. The gap comes as several laws tied to Ukraine's international commitments face year-end deadlines.
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Zelensky appoints Anton Kovalsky as acting Prosecutor General of Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decree No. 946/2026 appointing Anton Kovalsky, previously the head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor's Office, as acting Prosecutor General of Ukraine. The appointment comes days after the Verkhovna Rada voted to accept the resignation of Ruslan Kravchenko, whose dismissal followed an NABU and SAP investigation into a criminal organization operating in the Office of the Prosecutor General.
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Norway to allocate 1 billion kroner through EU's Ukraine Facility, first non-EU contributor
Norway announced on September 17 that it will allocate 1 billion Norwegian kroner (approximately 90–92 million euros) through the EU's Ukraine Facility mechanism to support Ukraine's state budget and reforms in anti-corruption and energy. Norway becomes the first non-EU country to contribute to the mechanism. The announcement was made during European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos's visit to Norway.
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Ukraine's parliament backs bill boosting parliamentary oversight of law enforcement
On 17 September, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, adopted draft law No. 14130 in first reading with 240 votes in favor. The bill strengthens parliamentary control over law enforcement and prosecutorial bodies, including mandatory annual reporting by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General on torture and ill-treatment investigations.
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Zelenskyy's trust rating holds at 54% despite corruption scandals, KIIS poll finds
A poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology conducted from 21 August to 10 September shows that 54% of Ukrainians trust President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, virtually unchanged from late July/early August. The result comes amid recent NABU and SAP anti-corruption investigations linked to his office, and KIIS's executive director warned that the cumulative effect of such cases could become irreversible.
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Ternopil doctors charged with selling forged mobilization deferrals for up to $12,000
Law enforcement in Ukraine's Ternopil region has exposed a medical advisory commission that allegedly sold around 1,000 forged health conclusions over three years to help men obtain deferrals from mobilization, charging four doctors and two intermediaries with criminal offenses including obstruction of the Armed Forces and facilitating illegal border crossings.