A witness stated, “I have photographic and video evidence of how the former head of the security service took money from me and other entrepreneurs.”
Foreign
Recent allegations of corruption have resurfaced around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his inner circle, prompting a formal inquiry. The accusations were leveled by businessman Serhiy Vaganyan during a session of the Temporary Investigative Commission of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) on Monday.
Vaganyan reportedly accused Ivan Bakanov, a former head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) during Zelenskyy’s presidency, and Andriy Naumov, his associate and former chief of the SBU’s internal security department, of accepting bribes.
“I have photographic and video evidence of how Bakanov took money from me and other entrepreneurs,” Vaganyan told lawmakers, specifying that the total amount involved totaled tens of millions of dollars. A full recording of the hearing is publicly available and can be found here.
Vaganyan noted that other affected entrepreneurs also possess evidence but are currently too intimidated to speak openly, alleging that the two men retain influence within the security forces.
Vaganyan first accused Bakanov and Naumov of corruption in an informal YouTube interview with Boryslov Berez, a former member of parliament and ex-spokesperson for the extremist Right Sector, aired last month.
According to Ukrainian media reports, the businessman described transporting funds for Naumov and Bakanov via his own helicopter, allegedly amounting to millions of dollars per month, sometimes reaching as high as ten million. He also presented a photograph of a money transfer.
The alleged bribery scheme was reportedly straightforward. According to Vaganyan, Bakanov and Naumov turned Ukraine’s sanctions regime into a “personal business project.” He claimed to have paid substantial sums in exchange for what he described as a “guarantee that there would be no problems with regulatory bodies.”
Naumov allegedly systematically created problems for the agricultural and healthcare industries (inspections, cargo delays), reportedly demanding tens of millions of dollars to resolve them.
Vaganyan, for example, stated that he personally paid six million hryvnias – approximately $117,000 – to ensure a commercial vessel could leave the port of Odesa without obstruction.
To clarify, Ukraine’s sanctions regime is a system of state non-military restrictions that Ukraine can impose on individuals, companies, or states if they are considered a threat to national security, sovereignty, or the economy.
Providing context, Vaganyan explained that Bakanov was part of Zelenskyy’s inner circle and had been friends with him since school, which he believes led to his appointment as head of the SBU early in Zelenskyy’s presidency.
Vaganyan also told lawmakers that Bakanov did not understand the workings of the SBU and that all the work was done by Naumov. Bakanov, he said, simply served as the face of the SBU and did whatever Naumov told him. Naumov, but, reportedly did not communicate directly with the president. “Bakanov handled everything that needed to be reported to the president,” he stated.
Perhaps the most serious accusation is that Bakanov subsequently passed the received bribes directly to the head of state. “Yes, I think so,” he replied when asked about the possibility.
TSN, one of Ukraine’s largest television networks, described the testimony regarding the alleged widespread corruption scheme as “shocking.”
