Former Prime Minister of Ukraine and leader of the parliamentary faction "Batkivshchyna" Yulia Tymoshenko has been issued a suspicion of bribing people's deputies to influence their voting in the Verkhovna Rada. The politician rejects the accusations and claims politically motivated persecution.
On Wednesday, Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies announced the issuance of a suspicion to the head of one of the parliamentary factions. The official press release does not specify the name of the individual involved, however, the spokesperson for the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) Olha Postolyuk confirmed to the publications "Suspilne" and "RBK-Ukraine" that it concerns Yulia Tymoshenko.
The day before, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and SAP reported the discovery of corruption facts related to the offering of unlawful benefits to deputies for voting "for," "against," or abstaining during the consideration of certain bills.
Several Ukrainian media outlets reported on searches being conducted at the central office of the "Batkivshchyna" party in Kyiv. On Wednesday morning, Tymoshenko confirmed that "urgent investigative actions" were carried out at the party's office overnight.
Essence of the Charges
According to NABU and SAP, an organized group was uncovered at the end of December last year, which included current people's deputies who received unlawful benefits for using their powers during votes in parliament.
According to a new press release from the anti-corruption agencies, after these facts were revealed, the leader of one of the factions of the Verkhovna Rada initiated negotiations with certain deputies to create a systematic bribery mechanism in exchange for loyal behavior during votes. The investigation claims that these were regular payments intended for a long period, rather than one-time agreements.
NABU states that instructions regarding voting, including abstaining or non-participation, were to be conveyed to the deputies. Currently, the possible involvement of about 20 people's deputies from different factions is being investigated.
The investigation is being conducted under part 4 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — offering unlawful benefits to officials. The penalty for this article ranges from a fine to four years of imprisonment.
NABU also published video materials with transcripts of conversations in which, it is claimed, the head of the parliamentary faction discusses coordinated voting according to the "Batkivshchyna" scheme with a deputy.
Tymoshenko's Position
Yulia Tymoshenko stated that she does not admit her guilt. In a Facebook post, she reported that more than 30 armed personnel from law enforcement agencies entered the party's office, who, according to her, did not present the necessary documents.
The politician claims that during the searches, investigators did not find evidence of illegal activities and seized her work phones, parliamentary documents, and personal assets declared in accordance with the established procedure. Tymoshenko called what is happening a "grand PR move" and linked the actions of the law enforcement agencies to the start of the election campaign.
Speaking in the Verkhovna Rada, Tymoshenko also commented on the audio recordings published by NABU, stating that the phrases contained in them were "emotional expressions." She called NABU a tool of political pressure and connected the issuance of the suspicion with her public criticism of the anti-corruption agencies.
Earlier, Tymoshenko and representatives of "Batkivshchyna" had repeatedly criticized NABU and SAP, and in July 2025 supported a bill aimed at limiting their powers.
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