Ukraine Accuses Senior Security Officials of Criminal Ties in Carthage Probe

Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities have formally accused three senior security and police officials of being members of a criminal organization. The move comes as the government intensifies its fight against graft while pursuing European Union membership. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau, or NABU, and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, or SAPO, stated that the group operated fraudulent call centers, distributed narcotics, and manufactured counterfeit foreign currency.

On November 5, NABU announced that it had issued formal notices of suspicion to five individuals. Among them are a senior officer from the Security Service of Ukraine and two high-ranking members of the National Police. The agencies indicated that they are preparing charges for additional suspects in the investigation, which is code-named Carthage. Investigators believe at least seven other people are part of the criminal structure.

According to the authorities, the primary organizer is a convicted man known by the nickname Criminal, who is identified as Andriy Osipov. Osipov is currently in custody for a separate case. Wiretaps released by the agencies suggest that Osipov managed the group alongside a Russian national with the code-name Mexican. This individual allegedly established a significant drug cartel and previously moved from Russia to Ukraine.

The investigation reveals a division of labor within the group. Mexican was allegedly already managing a network of fraudulent call centers a year ago. Meanwhile, Criminal was responsible for securing protection from various law enforcement bodies, including the SBU, the Prosecutor-General's Office, and the national police. The organization coordinated 52 call centers and paid monthly bribes of 7,000 dollars to keep each location operational.

Volodymyr Tsenov, the first deputy head of the police Strategic Investigations Department, was identified in the wiretaps by the code-name Price. Investigators believe he accepted payments to overlook the call centers. On November 5, the High Anti-Corruption Court ordered Tsenov to remain in pretrial detention for 60 days. His bail was set at 15 million hryvnyas, which is approximately 330,000 dollars. Tsenov did not respond to questions from reporters outside the courthouse.

Following a 2026 directive from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to combat fraudulent call centers, Price and an SBU official code-named Akim allegedly warned Criminal to shut down operations or go underground. Akim is believed to be Major General Serhiy Duku. The investigation states that Akim used his connections to help Criminal access government data, information from criminal proceedings, and assistance with court cases, including the lifting of asset freezes.

NABU and SAPO also alleged that the group was involved in planned attacks, kidnappings, and infliction of bodily harm. Data provided to Criminal by Akim reportedly included details about victims of these violent acts. Investigators named men with the code-names Pasha and Boxer as having committed these acts. Boxer, believed to be Vitaliy Rybalka, was also ordered to be held in detention for 60 days without bail on November 5. Rybalka told reporters that he found the charges against him to be far-fetched.

A member of the Prosecutor-General's Office, identified by the call sign Oskar, is also implicated in the criminal activities. However, the office told RFE/RL that it was unsure whom the investigation was referring to. Former Prosecutor-General Ruslan Kravchenko, who resigned in September and has since left Ukraine, claimed that NABU was searching the premises of three senior SBU officials. These officials' units had investigated cases against NABU chief Semen Kryvonos and the family of SAPO chief Oleksandr Klymenko.

Kravchenko described the actions of the anti-corruption agencies on November 4 as political revenge and systematic attempts to destabilize the country. Corruption remains a contentious issue in Ukraine. Last year, Andriy Yermak, a top aide to President Zelenskyy, resigned after investigators probed a scheme involving hundreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks from contractors to the state nuclear company Energoatom.