On November 13, 2026, General Serhii Duka of the Security Service of Ukraine, having spent nine days in a pre-trial detention center, was released after posting bail of 65 million hryvnias. Immediately upon his release, he issued a public statement accusing the state leadership of attempting to block an investigation into National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) employees and alleged a leak of confidential materials. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the text of the general's own statement.
Instruction not to "execute materials" and the revenge theory
According to Duka, during the investigation he was conducting into NABU employees, he received an instruction from the highest political leadership of the state not to use the materials he had collected. "There was an instruction from the highest political leadership of the state not to execute materials on NABU employees. I can prove this. My detention is revenge by the heads of anti-corruption agencies for documenting NABU employees and their corrupt crimes," the general declared. He directly links his detention to his documentation of the activities of anti-corruption structures.
Documents from the First Deputy Prosecutor General's office and leaks
Duka reported that during the first stage of the "Carthage" special operation, NABU detectives seized documents from the office of First Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Mariia Vdovychenko concerning NABU employees and individuals close to the leadership of anti-corruption bodies. The general claims that these materials were subsequently leaked and states that he has evidence of this fact. However, he did not disclose details or name specific individuals involved in the leak.
Call for a temporary investigative commission
Addressing members of parliament, Serhii Duka called on the Verkhovna Rada to create a temporary investigative commission (TIC) to check the activities of NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). "I ask parliamentarians to create a TIC and investigate, in the manner prescribed by law, the activities of NABU and SAPO and their subordinates regarding the commission of corruption crimes that we documented. I will provide all testimonies," he emphasized. Thus, the general is effectively proposing a parliamentary oversight mechanism for the anti-corruption bloc, which he claims is itself the subject of corrupt abuse.
Connection to negotiations: "Super-realizations" undermine Ukraine's position
Duka placed special emphasis on his belief that the actions of anti-corruption agencies have a negative impact on Ukraine's position during international negotiations. "At a time when the state leadership is flying to negotiations that are extremely difficult for our country, anti-corruption agency staff are conducting so-called 'super-realizations' that lead nowhere, but undermine our negotiating position and force us to make concessions regarding our territorial integrity and sovereignty," the general stated. He did not name specific negotiations or their participants in his statement.
Context: The investigation's version and Operation "Carthage"
Recall that NABU and SAPO detained Serhii Duka on November 4, 2026, as part of Operation "Carthage." According to the investigation, the general provided cover for a criminal organization to avoid the attention of SBU officers; in recordings published by NABU, he appears under the pseudonym "Akim." According to anti-corruption agencies, the group was involved in operating fraudulent call centers, drug trafficking, and producing counterfeit currency. Thus, the official classification of Duka's actions by the investigation and his own interpretation of events differ fundamentally: to NABU, he is a suspect in a case of covering up an organized criminal group; to himself, he is a victim of political pressure for documenting corruption within the anti-corruption bloc.
