---
title: "Confrontation During Search: SBU Official Threatens NABU Detectives with Firearms — Agency Calls Actions Unacceptable"
description: "NABU reported that during a search ordered by the HACC, an SBU official threatened detectives with firearms and blocked access to the site. The agency called the actions unacceptable. The suspect's name and case details were not disclosed."
date: 2026-11-04T05:06:16.729Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sbu-official-threatens-nabu-detectives-during-search
tags: [nabu, sbu, ukraine, anti-corruption, wakss, carthage-operation, prosecutors-office]
author: "Marina Slivenko"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Confrontation During Search: SBU Official Threatens NABU Detectives with Firearms — Agency Calls Actions Unacceptable

![Signage of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine on a building](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/04/chivnuk-sbu-ugrozhaet-oruzhiem-detektivam-nabu-pri-obyiske/chivnuk-sbu-ugrozhaet-oruzhiem-detektivam-nabu-pri-obyiske-1.webp)

## Key Points

- NABU reported a firearm threat by an SBU official during a search authorized by the HACC
- SBU special forces personnel were dispatched to the search location
- NABU called the actions unacceptable but did not disclose the suspect's name or case number
- The incident occurred amid a series of high-profile investigations, including Operation Carthage
- Personnel purges and an internal investigation regarding former Prosecutor General Kravchenko were conducted at the PGO

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine reported an incident that occurred during a search conducted pursuant to a ruling by an investigative judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court. According to the bureau, an official of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), while at the scene of the investigative actions, threatened NABU detectives with firearms and barred them from accessing the search site. According to the anti-corruption agency, SBU special forces personnel were also dispatched to the location.

### NABU: Actions Impede the Performance of Procedural Duties

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau stated that such actions are unacceptable and directly prevent detectives from carrying out their lawful procedural duties. The search, the agency emphasized, was conducted on the basis of a HACC investigative judge's ruling, which provides a full legal foundation for the investigative actions. NABU did not specify the exact criminal proceeding under which the search was conducted or which specific SBU official was involved in the incident. The bureau promised to release additional details "in due course."

### Context: A Series of High-Profile Investigations and Operation Carthage

The incident involving the SBU occurred against the backdrop of several high-profile investigations conducted by NABU in recent weeks. In particular, as part of the special operation "Carthage," the bureau announced a new notice of suspicion served against the former head of a department at the Office of the Prosecutor General. According to the investigation, the suspect was responsible for interacting with illegal call centers and receiving funds from them. Other figures in the case include Serhii Kutsyi, the driver of Prosecutor General's Office prosecutor Serhii Kropyva, who was released from custody on a bail of three million hryvnias.

### Consequences for the Prosecutor's Office: Purges and Internal Investigations

The investigation under Operation Carthage has already led to personnel reshuffles within the prosecutor's office system. The Office of the Prosecutor General eliminated a number of positions and dismissed a significant number of employees, including eight individuals mentioned in the Carthage materials. In addition, the Prosecutor General's Office initiated an internal investigation regarding the foreign travel of former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. Thus, the incident involving the SBU became another episode in a series of tense events surrounding Ukraine's anti-corruption structures.

### Reaction and Prospects

At the time of publication, the Security Service of Ukraine had not provided a public comment regarding the incident. NABU, for its part, limited itself to stating the fact of the threat and declaring the unacceptability of such actions, without disclosing names or the details of the criminal proceeding. Observers note that a clash between two law enforcement agencies at the scene of investigative actions, if confirmed, could become the subject of a separate inquiry and cause additional resonance amid ongoing reforms of the law enforcement system.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Чиновник СБУ угрожает оружием детективам во время обыска, - НАБУ](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/posadovets-sbu-pogrozhue-zbroeyu-detektivam-1793768468.html) - The information comes exclusively from NABU. The SBU has neither publicly confirmed nor denied the incident. The official's name and the criminal proceeding number have not been disclosed. This qualification is because the threat has so far been confirmed by only one side.

## FAQ

### Which specific SBU employee threatened the NABU detectives?

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau did not specify which SBU official was involved in the incident. The agency promised to release details "in due course."

### What criminal case was the search conducted under?

NABU did not disclose the criminal proceeding number. The agency only confirmed that the search was conducted pursuant to a ruling by a HACC investigative judge.

### What is Operation Carthage?

"Carthage" is a NABU special operation in which, among other things, a former department head at the Prosecutor General's Office was served a notice of suspicion related to interaction with illegal call centers. The operation led to personnel purges in the prosecutor's office.