Official position of NABU regarding the events of July 21

1. As of now, at least 70 searches are being conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) in relation to NABU employees.

2. The searches involve at least 15 NABU staff members. According to available information, the investigative actions are being carried out without court warrants.

3. In most cases, the grounds cited for these actions are the alleged involvement of certain individuals in traffic accidents. However, some employees are being accused of possible connections with the aggressor state. These are unrelated matters.

4. Simultaneously, an unscheduled inspection of state secrets protection, initiated by the SBU, has begun. It targets NABU employees who have access to state secrets and conduct covert investigative (search) actions. As a result of this inspection, the SBU may gain access to information about NABU and SAPO’s ongoing and planned operational measures and investigative actions. Disclosure of this information could compromise investigative operations and ongoing cases.

5. A planned inspection by the State Special Communications Service is also underway, covering NABU’s technical infrastructure.

6. During one of the searches, physical force was used against a NABU detective, despite the absence of any resistance on his part.

7. At the time these actions began, the NABU Director was on an official visit to the United Kingdom, which included scheduled meetings with high-level officials. The NABU Director decided to immediately interrupt the visit and return to Ukraine.

NABU is conducting an internal review of the events of July 21 and is investigating the legal basis of the actions taken, including the use of force against an employee.

At the same time, we emphasize that the risk of agents of influence from the aggressor state exists for any government body. However, this cannot justify halting the work of the entire institution.