Key Points
- Lawmakers are reportedly implicated in a newly uncovered graft scheme
- Previous corruption scandals led to the resignation of Zelensky’s chief of staff
- A $100 million kickback scheme was uncovered in the energy sector
- The investigation emerged as Zelensky traveled to the US for peace-related talks
- Public anger is rising amid corruption revelations and ongoing Russian attacks on infrastructure.
KYIV: Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities on Saturday said that security services were obstructing their attempts to conduct searches inside the country’s parliament, amid a widening investigation that has allegedly implicated several sitting lawmakers.
The development comes as Ukraine faces renewed scrutiny over corruption, following a series of scandals that recently forced the resignation of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff.
Those cases also uncovered a massive kickback operation worth an estimated $100 million within the already strained energy sector, reportedly orchestrated by an individual described as a close personal associate of the president.
“NABU and SAPO, following an undercover operation, exposed an organised criminal group that included current members of parliament,” the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said.
The agency added that its work was being actively hindered inside the legislature. “Employees of the State Security Department are resisting NABU officers during investigative actions in committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,” it added, referring to Ukraine’s parliament.
Officials did not disclose further details about the scope or targets of the investigation.
Meanwhile, journalist Mykhailo Tkach of the Ukrainska Pravda news outlet said in a post on social media that investigators were eventually granted access to government premises.
The controversy surfaced as President Zelensky left the country for high-level discussions in the United States focused on shaping a potential roadmap to end the war. The timing also coincided with intensified Russian attacks, including large-scale drone and missile strikes on Kyiv that killed one person and injured dozens.
Public frustration has grown as corruption revelations emerge alongside Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine’s power infrastructure, which has led to widespread blackouts and raised concerns over heating shortages during the winter months.
