The key facts
- The attempt to install the equipment was discovered about a month and a half after the event itself
- Abakumov allows for the involvement of figures in anti-corruption investigations and power representatives connected to them
- The statement came amid an ongoing conflict between anti-corruption agencies and law enforcement structures
A failed surveillance attempt
Another attempt to install equipment for covert surveillance of employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has been recorded in Ukraine. This was announced by the head of the bureau's detective unit, Oleksandr Abakumov, on air during the 'UP CHAT' program of the 'Ukrainska Pravda' publication, as reported by Life.ru. According to him, the attempt took place in the summer of 2026, but it was only discovered some time later: 'A month and a half ago we discovered that in the summer of this year there was another attempt to install equipment. But something went wrong for them.' Unknown individuals tried to unlawfully enter the premises and install equipment for covert information gathering, but were unable to carry out their plan to the end.
Who, in NABU's view, is behind the attempts
Abakumov suggested that figures involved in major anti-corruption investigations and power representatives connected to them may be behind the attempts to interfere with the agency's work, who, in his assessment, spend significant resources to obstruct the detectives' activities. He also drew attention to the scale of surveillance systems in other law enforcement structures: individual internal security units, he said, outnumber the entire staff of NABU, which employs about 900 people.
A series of incidents over the year
This is not the first such case. In February 2026, NABU head Semen Kryvonos reported the discovery of listening equipment in the home of a female detective who had participated in an investigation into corruption in drone procurement and worked on the 'Midas' case. Another incident occurred on June 19: then, technical means of covert surveillance were found in the apartment of the head of a unit investigating corruption crimes at customs and state enterprises. According to Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies, an SBU officer was involved in the installation; in August, he and an alleged accomplice were notified of suspicion. Life.ru previously reported that an SBU officer organized the installation of listening equipment in the apartment of one of the NABU leaders: unknown individuals came to the detective's neighbor, identified themselves as law enforcement officers, and persuaded him to allow the installation of equipment under the pretext of monitoring an alleged Russian spy.
Context of the confrontation
The new statements came against the backdrop of an ongoing conflict between Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies and law enforcement structures. In the summer of 2025, the authorities passed a law that limited the independence of NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP); after mass protests and criticism from European partners, its provisions were revised. Thus, the June incident with the discovery of equipment and the August report of suspicion against an SBU officer were already known, and the new information concerns specifically the summer 2026 attempt to break into the bureau itself, which only became known a month and a half later. Who exactly was behind it has not been reported — Abakumov's version about the involvement of figures under investigation remains his assessment.
