NABU officer detained by Ukraine’s Security Service gathered key evidence in Energoatom embezzlement case
Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, an officer of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) who was arrested and has been detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), had been involved in uncovering the embezzlement scheme at Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear energy company.
Source: Oleksandr Abakumov, head of the NABU detective group involved in the investigation, speaking to Ukrainska Pravda
Quote: "Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, who is currently in pre-trial detention, was directly involved in this case, and thanks to him we obtained a number of pieces of evidence that played a key role in the investigation."
Details: Abakumov added that a lengthy, multi-stage operation was conducted to expose "systemic corruption within Energoatom", and that almost the entire staff of NABU was involved in the final stage.
"Almost the entire staff, because several of our employees are in pre-trial detention," he explained.
He noted that last week NABU detained another Energoatom official who was involved in the same scheme.
Abakumov emphasised that the case is still at the early stage of "initial suspicions", adding, "We'll see how it develops."
"We have a situation where an organisation was formed within Energoatom – a scheme under which payoffs were demanded on most procurements for processing the payments due. These were either trusted companies controlled by members of the criminal organisation, or unrelated companies that wanted to receive payment for work done or goods supplied, and to get it, they had to pay kickbacks," the NABU detective explained.
Background:
- On 21 July, the SSU conducted a series of searches and detentions involving NABU and SAPO. One of the detainees was Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, a senior officer in a regional NABU detective unit.
- The SSU and the Prosecutor General's Office said Mahamedrasulov had been "acting as an intermediary in the sale of industrial-grade hemp to the Republic of Dagestan (Russia)".
- On 22 July, a court in Kyiv remanded Mahamedrasulov in custody for 60 days.
- According to Ukrainska Pravda sources, he was one of the key NABU officers involved in documenting the activities of Tymur Mindich, co-owner of Kvartal 95, the Ukrainian TV production company Volodymyr Zelenskyy founded before he became president.
- Business sources told Ukrainska Pravda that NABU and SAPO investigators had managed to record Mindich in an apartment where a birthday celebration for Zelenskyy had been held five years earlier.
- On 10 September, the Pechersk District Court granted the prosecutor's request to keep Mahamedrasulov's father in custody until 21 October.
- On 12 September, the same court extended Ruslan Mahamedrasulov's detention until 21 October. The hearing has been postponed several times due to delays in notifying his defence team.
- On 15 October, the court extended the pre-trial investigation in the case against Ruslan Mahamedrasulov and his father, Sentiabr Mahamedrasulov, until 21 January 2026.
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