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yesterday

Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Agencies Arrest Four in Drone Procurement Graft

Parliament restored autonomy to NABU, SAPO this week, triggering arrests of a lawmaker, local officials, National Guard personnel in an inflated-price drone contract probe

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FILE - Long-range drones An-196 Liutyi of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine stand in line before takeoff in undisclosed location, Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)
ROME, ITALY - JULY 10: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press conference as part of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 (URC2025) at Roma Convention Center La Nuvola, on July 10, 2025 in Rome, Italy. The fourth annual Ukraine Recovery Conference is taking place in Rome on July 10-11, bringing together governments and organizations from the international community committed to the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine, amid Russia's full-scale invasion. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Parliament vote on July 31 reinstated the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, with the law taking effect August 1
  • On August 2, NABU and SAPO leveraged their restored autonomy to detain a sitting MP, two local officials and National Guard members for accepting bribes tied to military drone and electronic-warfare contracts
  • Investigators say the procurement scheme involved state contracts inflated by up to 30 percent, with offenders receiving kickbacks based on the overcharged amounts
  • President Zelenskyy praised the arrests on Telegram, emphasizing zero tolerance for corruption and the critical role of independent anti-graft bodies
  • European Union officials, including Katarína Mathernová, António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the reversal as essential for rule-of-law reforms and Ukraine’s EU membership prospects