Ukrainian security service general smashed phones during anti-corruption raid, investigator says
A senior Ukrainian security service officer allegedly smashed two phones and a hard drive with a hammer while armed personnel prevented anti-corruption investigators from searching his home, according to a senior official at Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
Oleksandr Abakumov, head of a NABU investigative unit, described the confrontation in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.
According to Abakumov, investigators arrived to search the property of a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) general but encountered armed men believed to belong to the SBU's Alpha special forces unit.
He said one of the armed men threatened to shoot a NABU officer attempting to enter the property, while at least two others took positions at windows with assault rifles. The general himself was allegedly seen at an upstairs window holding a pistol.
Abakumov said the general later appeared on a balcony and smashed two phones and a hard drive with a hammer.
He also alleged that additional SBU special forces personnel arrived during several hours of negotiations, apparently intending to remove the general from the property.
Ukrainian media identified the officer as Maj. Gen. Serhii Duka, deputy head of the SBU department responsible for protecting national statehood.
NABU announced searches involving three senior SBU officials on November 4 as part of an ongoing corruption investigation. The two agencies have disputed the legality of the searches: NABU says its officers presented a court order, while the SBU has claimed the searches lacked proper judicial authorization.
Abakumov's account has not been independently verified.