The Baby and “Criminal”: How the Former SBU Head’s Connections Helped the “Khimprom” Drug Cartel Establish Itself in Ukraine

The clash between NABU and the SBU has taken a sensational turn. NABU reported that SBU and National Police officials were protecting a group that ordered people to be tortured and extorted millions of dollars.

This was reported by Skelet.Org.

But the meaning of the current series is fundamentally impossible to understand without knowing two key episodes from earlier installments. Both episodes are directly connected to the then-head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk.

The first episode concerns the SBU’s role in Volodymyr Zelensky’s attempt to deprive NABU and SAP of their independence in July last year. 21 July 2025 (a day before Parliament voted on the controversial bill No. 12414) the SBU carried out a large operation, conducting about 80 searches of 19 NABU employees. Malyuk said the goal was to “neutralize Russian influence on NABU.” Two NABU detectives were announced to be under suspicion of alleged ties to the Russian Federation.

The second episode occurred at the beginning of August this year. NABU and SAP said they had informed that a “person who had connections in the top leadership of the SBU” was suspected. This person demanded from a Russian citizen $1 million so that he would avoid extradition to Russia. The person is named Andrii Osypov. He was born in the Korostyshiv district of Zhytomyr region, has repeatedly been criminally prosecuted, including for violent crimes. According to the investigation, Osypov belonged to a criminal group that operated in a city in Zhytomyr region.

Malyuk himself was born in Korostyshiv. At the hearing where Osypov’s preventive measure was being decided, an SAP prosecutor said the case materials indicate Osypov personally knew Vasyl Malyuk. In conversations the man calls himself part of Malyuk’s “team” and uses the phrase: “I’m with VV” (using Vasyl Vasyliovych’s initials). In addition, according to the investigation, on recordings Osypov discusses Malyuk’s wife Yuliia and mentions a shared past, calling him “the Korostyshiv hooligan” who reached a high level.

That was an information mine laid under Malyuk. And now, three months later, it has exploded.

Malyuk, “Criminal” and the “Mexican.”

In a video released by NABU and SAP, head of the NABU detectives unit Oleksandr Abakumov and SAP prosecutor Mykola Karas talked about two co-organizers of a criminal organization whose members ran fraudulent call centers, distributed narcotics, committed economic crimes, and crimes against people’s lives and health.

One of those two is the same Osypov, nicknamed “Criminal.” NABU and SAP first had him on their radar in 2022, when he demanded on behalf of the SBU 1 million US dollars to prevent a person’s extradition. By that time “Criminal” already had a criminal past. He had been convicted three times. “At the same time, this did not prevent him from maintaining close ties with law enforcement officers who, like him, were born, raised, and began their careers in Zhytomyr region,” Abakumov said.

In one fragment of telephone conversations, “Criminal” says that “the madam general could not have imagined that ‘this Korostyshiv hooligan would be at such a level now.’”

“Using these quite friendly and close ties, in particular with officials of the SBU’s leadership, during the period from 2022 to the autumn of 2025 he was able to become a co-organizer of a criminal organization,” Karas explained. Malyuk led the SBU from July 2022 to January 2026.

The second co-organizer was the “Mexican” — the founder and leader of the transnational drug cartel “Khimprom,” a Russian citizen who fled to Ukraine after being put on the wanted list in Russia in 2016. Since 2019 he has also been wanted in Ukraine, but that did not prevent him from continuing criminal activity. News of Ukraine

NABU and SAP established that after the start of the full-scale invasion, the Russian drug syndicate “Khimprom” not only did not stop its activities but strengthened its influence in Ukraine. Its leader, the “Mexican,” to develop this criminal business in Ukraine needed to secure the support of law enforcement officers who would turn a blind eye to his activities. To that end he involved the man nicknamed “Criminal.”

“Criminal” and the “Mexican” agreed to combine efforts to expand criminal activities on mutually beneficial terms. “Among those his friends included high-ranking SBU officials involved in the attempt to deprive NABU and SAP of independence in the summer of 2025,” Karas emphasized. “Having received patronage in Ukraine from ‘Criminal’ and his friends, the ‘Mexican’ continued to run his criminal business and cooperated with FSB representatives. All of this continued during the full-scale war.”

Where Zelensky fits into the situation with Vasyl Malyuk.

NABU in its investigations never mentions the president. But that restriction does not apply to his circle. This time several influential people found themselves under attack.

Acting head of the SBU Oleksandr Poklad reported that he had dismissed two high-ranking SBU officials who became figures in NABU’s investigation.

One of them appears under the nickname “Akim” — first deputy head of the SBU Department for the Protection of National Statehood, Serhii Duka, whom Zelensky 25 February 2026 awarded the military rank of major general. According to Abakumov, this major general provided protection for the criminal organization from the attention of his SBU colleagues. Military history

The Anti-Corruption Center called Duka the leader of the searches of NABU detectives carried out by the SBU in 21 July 2025.

The National Police of Ukraine reported that by decision of its leadership, police officers against whom NABU conducted corresponding procedural actions have been suspended from their duties pending an internal investigation.

According to Abakumov, the case involves “Price” — one of the heads of the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police, who was responsible for covering up the call centers’ activities, and “Consultant” — another police officer who was responsible for security, covered up criminal activity, and coordinated certain directions of that criminal activity.

But that is not the full list. The figures behind the U420 narco-shop network discussed bribes for Minister K*** and another minister ***, as well as a meeting with Arah***. The minister of internal affairs at the time was Ihor Klymenko, who by Zelensky’s decrees is secretary of the NSDC, head of the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center, and chair of the Council of Experts on Energy Security. The other minister referred to is Health Minister Viktor Liashko.

“About K*** (the minister, — NABU note) look what they’re offering me. They say, let’s go into partnerships, we’ll all be in, no one will gas, neither *** (the other minister, — NABU note), nor him, we’ll squeeze out competitors, let’s kind of proceed with you from half,” “Criminal” said. The “Mexican” agreed to give a third.

After the investigation by Bihus.Info into the U420 network, as Karas said, law enforcement carried out staged searches, having previously warned members of the organization.

The “Mexican” sends “Criminal” a voice message from another accomplice: “The minister gathered a meeting, gave an instruction to the BNON to make a picture for Bihus, for society, for journalists.” BNON is the former department for combating the illegal circulation of narcotics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, now called the Department for Combating Drug Crime of the National Police.

Participants in the criminal organization also sought ways to protect their business through Parliament, Abakumov said. One option was passing bills for the full legalization of marijuana in Ukraine. In one recording “Criminal” mentions that they “owe him an arranged meeting with Arah***” to discuss legalization. European tours

Davyid Arahamia is not only the head of the presidential parliamentary faction but was also by Zelensky’s decree appointed a member of Ukraine’s delegation to participate in the negotiation process with the United States and other international partners of Ukraine, as well as with representatives of Russia to achieve a just and sustainable peace.

And this is certainly not the last episode. “The pretrial investigation continues,” NABU ends its latest video with an ellipsis.

NABU shows them regularly — to remind everyone that it sets the agenda. This series quietly but systematically creates the impression that everyone around Zelensky is smeared with corruption and criminality.

Yes, this is revenge for Zelensky’s attempt to bring NABU and SAP under control in July last year. As is known, revenge is a dish best served cold. So NABU is in no hurry. For now it has only slightly touched two of its SBU wrongdoers: Malyuk and Duka.