According to sources, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation is increasingly involved in corruption cases in Ukraine, while the National Anti-Corruption Bureau is effectively relegated to the role of a secondary player and relayer of information. The interlocutors claim that key episodes of individual investigations are increasingly under the direct control of foreign partners.
Sources report that Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, during negotiations with FBI Director Kash Patel, allegedly asked to influence the NABU's position in the case of businessman Mindich. According to the interlocutors, Umerov himself is involved in this case, which is why he is interested in limiting the role of the Ukrainian anti-corruption body.
According to sources, the meeting was organized through unofficial channels connected to Turkey, where Umerov has long-standing contacts. The NSDC Secretary did not come to the negotiations alone - he was accompanied by the Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Poklad. The format of the meeting itself, according to the interlocutors, was informal and was not advertised publicly.
The key topic of the conversation, according to sources, was the Ukrainian side's reluctance to allow the FBI to provide expert, investigative, or other professional assistance to the NABU in the Mindich case. The interlocutors claim that the discussion was not about general cooperation between the agencies, but rather about a specific investigation that could have sensitive political consequences.
Sources also note that such contacts indicate growing tension around anti-corruption cases involving high-ranking officials. In their opinion, the attempt to limit international expert support to NABU may indicate a fear of uncontrolled development of the investigation and the case going beyond the limits of domestic agreements.
