KYIV: Ukraine’s security services said on Monday (July 21) they had detained an official from a secret anti-corruption unit on suspicion of spying for Russia.
While both Kyiv and Moscow have arrested dozens of suspected spies since Russia’s 2022 invasion, confirmed cases of espionage within Ukraine’s government institutions remain rare.
“An employee of the NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) Central Office was detained,” the SBU security service said in a statement.
“He worked in the most elite, closed unit, ‘D-2’, and spied for the Russian special services,” it added, without identifying the suspect.
Earlier on Monday, the SBU searched offices of NABU and Ukraine’s specialised anti-corruption prosecutor in Kyiv.
NABU said it had launched an “internal review” and was “investigating the legal basis of the actions taken, including the use of force against an employee.”
The SBU alleged that the suspect passed classified information to a deputy head of security for former president Viktor Yanukovich, who fled to Russia following his 2014 ouster.
A video released by the SBU showed armed men in camouflage pulling the suspect from a vehicle, forcing him to the ground and handcuffing him.
