Ruslan Magamedrasulov, a senior detective with Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), has been detained by security services, according to Ukrainian media.
His arrest marks a dramatic escalation in the power struggle between the Zelensky administration and external anti-corruption institutions.
The head of NABU’s interregional detective unit was seized by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) on 21 July during sweeping raids targeting NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
A source in the Ukrainian security services stated that Magamedrasulov allegedly acted as a “middleman” in the sale of his father’s industrial hemp to Russia’s Dagestan and could also have been in contact with the Russian security services to pass on secret information to them.
Within days, however, the charges expanded dramatically to include state treason and aiding a “Russian agent”, former MP Fedor Khristenko, now exiled and accused by Kyiv of working for Russia’s Federal Security Service.
Crucially, Magamedrasulov was a lead investigator documenting activities of Timur Mindich, co-owner of the Kvartal 95 Studio and a figure long described by anti-corruption activists as “President Zelensky’s wallet”. Sources within NABU confirm Magamedrasulov oversaw surveillance operations targeting Mindich at a Kyiv apartment frequented by the president himself.
This probe formed part of wider investigations into high-level corruption, including a case against former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, another Zelensky ally, involving an alleged property scam.
The timing of Magamedrasulov’s detention raises acute suspicions. It came just days after NABU announced suspicions against Chernyshov and as pressure mounted on Mindich. Moreover, it coincided with Zelensky signing a law on 22 July subordinating NABU and SAPO to the Prosecutor General, a move denounced by watchdogs as dismantling institutional independence.
When Chernyshov returned to Ukraine from Austria, SSU operatives reportedly escorted him through border control to prevent NABU from arresting him.
The SSU’s case hinges on claims that Magamedrasulov maintained “close ties” with Khristenko, allegedly a “top FSB agent” tasked with infiltrating NABU. The SSU asserts Khristenko fled Ukraine after the war broke out in 2022 but “retained influence” over bureau officials, including Magamedrasulov and another unit head, Oleksandr Skomarov. Evidence cited includes a 2022 trip abroad by Skomarov’s wife in a car owned by Khristenko’s spouse.
NABU dismissed the accusations as a politically motivated sabotage. In a statement, it warned the raids aimed to paralyse probes into Zelensky’s inner circle. Morale within NABU and SAPO is described as “severely undermined”.
This confrontation unfolds amid Zelensky’s push to consolidate control. Having neutralised Ukraine’s oligarchic factions through sanctions and wartime powers, his administration now targets the last major constraint: anti-corruption bodies created after 2014, Ukrainian political experts say.
The White House’s muted response, despite condemning similar moves in 2017, suggests a potential shift under US President Trump, historically critical of these agencies.
Magamedrasulov’s jailing signals that for NABU detectives investigating presidential allies, the professional risks have become perilously personal.
