Russian drug syndicate Khimprom planned to bribe Interior Minister Klymenko through associates – NABU

Abakumov said the cartel leader, nicknamed Mexican (Yehor Burkin), was looking for a way to block a decision by the Interior Ministry to add the group's synthetic substances to the list of banned drugs.

However, he said criminal intermediaries discouraged the drug trafficker from contacting the interior minister directly. Instead, they advised him to offer a stake in the drug business to people who had influence over the minister.

"The Khimprom leader did indeed discuss the minister by name. He saw a way to resolve his problems through the minister so that he would not take steps to ban the chemical formulas of their drugs. But Criminal, who was supposed to convey the proposal, told him: 'Why deal directly with the minister? Let's offer a stake to the people who can influence him.' So there was no direct communication with Klymenko," Abakumov said.

He stressed that detectives were working to identify the individuals who claimed to have influence over the interior minister and planned to acquire a stake in the criminal business.

Abakumov added that the drug trafficking syndicate had enormous illicit funds at its disposal and had offered $2 million just to secure the dismissal of one official who refused to make deals with the criminals.

Russian-linked drug trafficking syndicate uncovered

On Nov. 4, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) announced that they had uncovered a Russian-linked drug trafficking syndicate as part of Operation Carthage. Investigators believe the syndicate operated under the protection of officials from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the National Police.

Its members are suspected of operating fraudulent call centers, trafficking drugs, producing counterfeit cigarettes and forging foreign currency.

That same day, NABU detectives detained Gen. Serhii Duka, first deputy head of the SBU's Department for the Protection of National Statehood. Ukrainska Pravda and Babel reported, citing sources, that National Police officials Volodymyr Tsenov and Oleksandr Demianchuk, as well as boxing club founder Oleksandr Rybalko, were also detained.

On Nov. 5, NABU and SAPO formally notified five members of the group that they were suspected of committing crimes. Investigators believe the organizer was Andrii Osipov, who has three previous convictions and is believed to be the person referred to as Criminal in the recordings.