First Deputy Head of the Strategic Investigations Department (SID) of the National Police, Volodymyr Tsenov, has been suspended from his duties pending an internal investigation. This was reported by the National Police in response to an inquiry from the Skhemy (Radio Svoboda) investigative project, as cited by RBC-Ukraine. The department specified that the suspension is related to a possible breach of service discipline by certain employees, and Tsenov himself is a suspect in the high-profile "Carthage" operation, where, according to media reports, he operates under the alias "Price".
Internal investigation and counterfeit euros
The National Police have launched an internal investigation due to possible disciplinary violations by certain employees; however, the department did not specify who, apart from Volodymyr Tsenov, is under review. As part of the same investigation, the alleged involvement of police officers in the production of counterfeit euros will be checked. According to anti-corruption authorities, a serving law enforcement officer nicknamed "Consultant" was involved in launching the currency forgery scheme; he is likely identified as Oleksandr Demyanchuk, Deputy Head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Kyiv region police. The investigation also accuses the "Consultant" of assisting attackers who assaulted a man near a sports club in central Kyiv in July 2026.
Investigation's version: money for "not noticing" call centers
According to the NABU and SAP, one of the SID leaders known as "Price" (likely Tsenov) received money between January and July 2026 for "not noticing" the operations of illegal call centers. Furthermore, according to the investigation, after equipment was seized at one of the call centers, he allegedly advised filing five identical complaints to the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv so that the case would land with a specific judge. Separately, the police confirmed that they registered a report of an attack on Antonovych Street on July 7 and opened proceedings for hooliganism, but did not disclose whether the individual associated with this attack is still employed by them.
Detention, bail, and arrest without bail
On November 4, Volodymyr Tsenov was detained, and the following day, a court remanded him into custody with bail set at 15 million hryvnias. On November 6, he paid the amount and was released from the pre-trial detention center. At the same time, another figure in the case, Oleksandr Demyanchuk, was arrested by the court without the right to bail. Thus, as of now, Tsenov is under investigation but suspended from his position, while his colleague in the case remains in custody without the possibility of release on bail.
Context of Operation "Carthage"
Recall that on November 5, as part of the high-profile "Carthage" operation, anti-corruption authorities detained a high-ranking National Police official known on NABU tapes by the alias "Price"; media reports indicate this refers to Deputy SID Chief Volodymyr Tsenov. At the same time, it became known that even before the high-profile operation began, National Police officers had spent years opposing the "Khimprom" drug syndicate, working under constant threats of retaliation: law enforcement officers managed to close 105 U420 drug shops and detain 23 members of the group. This circumstance highlights the contradictory nature of the case, where the same structures simultaneously appear in anti-corruption proceedings and in the exposure of organized crime.
