The SSU works to tackle large-scale corruption and organized crime that poses a threat to Ukraine’s state security. Since the beginning of 2021, the SSU operations have led to 99 convictions of officials involved in bribery and embezzlement of budget funds.

In addition, the SSU dismantled 9 criminal organizations and dozens of criminal groups, including gangs controlled by leaders of transnational structures, in particular Russian ‘thieves in law’.

The unlawful activity of these entities had a destabilizing effect on the situation in the regions.

A large-scale special SSU operation in Kharkiv disrupted a 50-strong criminal network that included law enforcement officers.

The group extorted money from local entrepreneurs, in particular from funeral businesses. The offenders used psychological pressure, violence and death threats against those who refused to pay. Each month, the group members received a ‘proceeds’ of over UAH 1 m (USD 37,979).

In July this year, the SSU exposed a criminal scheme at the National Agency of Ukraine for Detection, Investigation and Management of Assets Derived from Corruption and Other Crimes (ARMA).

The representatives of this agency were involved in illegal embezzlement of USD 395,000, which were seized by the court. 6 participants of the scheme were notified of suspicion of committing a crime.

In a special operation in Kyiv and Rivne region, leaders and three active members of another criminal group were detained. The attackers terrorized residents of the regions and used death threats to extort money from entrepreneurs.

The group sent the collected sums to support their accomplices doing prison terms. They also passed means of communication to the convicts to enable them to coordinate criminal activity of their subordinates at large.

The searches led to seizures of:

• firearms,
• radio stations,
• balaclavas,
• proceeds of crime.

In Dnipro, the SSU dismantled a ‘force wing’ of an interregional criminal group. The enforcers intimidated and terrorized people in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Poltava regions.

Their leader, known as ‘Ariyets’, was detained by the SSU in April 2020. After the leader’s detention, part of his group continued criminal activity.

Investigative and operative actions are underway to bring to justice other individuals involved in the crimes.