❓WHAT HAPPENED: Anti-corruption investigators have accused Ukrainian lawmaker and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of organizing a scheme to bribe MPs, including figures from President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party, to undermine his government.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Yulia Tymoshenko, her Fatherland party, members of the Ukrainian legislature, and Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
📍WHEN & WHERE: Investigations and raids occurred on Tuesday night, with announcements made on Wednesday in Ukraine.
💬KEY QUOTE: “It seems the elections are much closer than they appeared and someone has decided to start clearing out the competition.” – Yulia Tymoshenko
🎯IMPACT: The allegations heighten political tensions in Ukraine, as expectations of elections increase amidst ongoing corruption probes and the war with Russia.
Ukrainian opposition lawmaker and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is facing bribery charges from anti-corruption authorities, who allege she organized a scheme to pay lawmakers—including some from President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party—in exchange for their votes in parliament.
The accusations emerged following raids late Tuesday on the offices of her Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Investigators claim the operation involved a systematic, long-term arrangement with advance payments to secure loyal voting behavior, including instructions sent via the Signal messaging app. NABU has released audio recordings and video footage showing U.S. dollar cash seized during the searches, describing it as part of a broader effort to influence parliamentary decisions and potentially undermine Zelensky’s majority.
Tymoshenko, whose party holds about 25 seats in the 450-member Verkhovna Rada, as the Ukrainian legislature is known, denied the claims in a Facebook statement. She rejected any link to the published audio recordings and called the probe politically driven, stating: “It seems the elections are much closer than they appeared and someone has decided to start clearing out the competition.” She pledged to demonstrate in court that the accusations against her are false.
The case follows NABU’s exposure in December 2025 of several lawmakers accepting improper benefits for votes, and coincides with other high-profile corruption investigations, including those involving figures close to Zelensky and issues at the state nuclear energy company Energoatom.
Notably, Tymoshenko had earlier backed legislation that would have weakened or dismantled NABU and SAPO—the very bodies now pursuing her.
Image via the European People’s Party.
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