SSU general waved gun at anti-corruption detectives during search
NABU officials described a confrontation at a Kyiv Oblast residence that ended with the detention of Serhii Duka and the seizure of cryptocurrency worth $3 million.
By Chioma Kuznetsov ·
Serhii Duka, the First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine's Department for the Protection of National Statehood, threatened National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine detectives with a handgun and destroyed digital equipment with a hammer during a court-authorized search of his property on November 4.
Oleksandr Abakumov, head of a detective unit at the NABU, detailed the incident in an interview. He stated that investigators arrived at the general's home outside the city to execute a warrant. NABU deployed officers from its Special Operations Department to secure the site. When one officer attempted to climb over a fence to open the gate, unidentified individuals aimed laser-sighted weapons at him and warned they would fire.
Abakumov reported that two armed SSU officers stood at the windows of the house holding assault rifles. Duka himself appeared at a first-floor window holding a handgun. The NABU officer used a loudspeaker to identify the team as law enforcement and presented a court order. He warned that pointing weapons at other officers created a dangerous situation. Duka did not respond to the announcement.
Instead, the general moved to a balcony and began smashing phones with a hammer. Abakumov said Duka completely destroyed two phones and wrecked one hard drive. Shortly after, three vans carrying armed officers from the SSU's Alpha special forces unit arrived at the scene. Abakumov described the behavior of these officers as aggressive.
The NABU believes the Alpha unit was assessing the positions of the detectives in preparation for a forcible evacuation of the general. A shootout between the two agencies was avoided through lengthy negotiations and the arrival of Duka's lawyers. Duka was subsequently detained in the village of Roslavychi in Kyiv Oblast.
During the operation, detectives documented the transfer of four cryptocurrency wallets containing approximately $3 million to Duka. According to Abakumov, the general agreed to secure the release of funds belonging to the Russian Khimprom drug trafficking cartel. These funds had been frozen by authorities acting through the Office of the Prosecutor General.
The search was part of Operation Carthage, which targets a criminal organization involving senior law enforcement figures. The investigation alleges the group established a system of bribes to protect scam call centers, drug trafficking networks, and counterfeit currency production. Andrii Osipov, a previously convicted individual, is identified as the organizer of the group.
Five members of the organization have been served notices of suspicion. The group included serving officials from the SSU, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the National Police. The alleged offenses include organizing a criminal organization, abuse of power, and bribery. Duka faces charges under Article 255.3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
On the evening of November 4, Oleksandr Poklad, the head of the SSU, dismissed the officers who became subjects of the NABU investigation. Search warrants were also executed at premises belonging to Anton Kravchuk, Head of the Main Department of Internal Security of the SSU. The Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office provided procedural supervision for the investigative actions.
