'PR stunt, I reject all absurd accusations': Ukraine's Yulia Tymoshenko charged with corruption

She wrote about this on Facebook.

According to sources from Ukrainska Pravda, Tymoshenko was notified of the suspicion today. SAPO later confirmed this.

NABU stated that the suspicion involves offering bribes to members of parliament.

"According to the investigation, after NABU and SAPO exposed facts in December 2025 of members of the Ukrainian parliament receiving illicit benefits for voting decisions on legislative bills in parliament, the suspect initiated negotiations with certain MPs regarding the establishment of a systematic mechanism for providing unlawful benefits in exchange for loyal behavior during votes," the statement reads.

NABU emphasizes that this was a regular cooperation mechanism, not one-off arrangements. It involved advance payments.

"Members of parliament were to receive voting instructions, and in some cases, instructions to abstain or not participate in voting," the Bureau concluded.

Tymoshenko's response

"So-called 'urgent investigative actions' have just concluded at the Batkivshchyna party office, lasting all night... Over thirty heavily armed men essentially seized the building and held employees hostage without presenting any documents. The last time we experienced such an intrusion was when Yanukovych's storm troopers burst in during the Revolution of Dignity," stated the Batkivshchyna faction leader.

Tymoshenko also mentioned "loud statements on the internet without any evidence" and called the actions "a political hit job against her."

"They found nothing, so they simply took my work phones, parliamentary documents, and personal savings, all of which are fully disclosed in my official declaration. I categorically reject all these absurd accusations. It seems the elections are much closer than we thought. And someone has decided to start eliminating competitors," she added.

Speaking in the Verkhovna Rada, Tymoshenko reiterated her claims that the accusations against her are slander. She also stated that during the searches, law enforcement did not provide any documents confirming authorization for these actions.

"Most interestingly, when I asked 'Why have you come here?' they said for searches. I asked if they had a court decision, or perhaps the prosecutor wrote something, or maybe any document at all. The team leader said: 'There are no documents and none are needed. Because these are special investigative actions that require nothing,'" Tymoshenko noted. "He showed an extract from the state register on his phone. That's all they showed."

• Previously, NABU and SAPO exposed the head of one of the factions for attempting to bribe deputies for votes in the Rada. According to sources, this refers to Yulia Tymoshenko, who is the leader of the Batkivshchyna faction.