Overview
- Ukrainian businessman Sergey Vaganyan alleges he paid bribes to Ivan Bakanov during his 2019–2022 tenure leading the Security Service of Ukraine.
- Vaganyan says he provided cash, vehicles including armored cars, and real estate to senior officials, naming former internal security chief Andriy Naumov.
- He released materials he claims were recorded by a hidden camera showing money being transferred to Bakanov, with the claims aired in an interview on Borislav Bereza’s YouTube channel and relayed by Strana.ua.
- The businessman describes what he calls systemic corruption tied to business favors, customs clearance of goods, personnel appointments, and alleged trading in sanctions through the National Security and Defense Council.
- He says he raised the issue directly with President Volodymyr Zelensky without seeing prosecutions, while reports note Bakanov remains free with no publicly known criminal charges, and Bakanov has dismissed the accusations as political discrediting.