(MENAFN) Security personnel in Ukraine have reportedly conducted unauthorized raids on members of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), according to the agency. The operation, which NABU claims occurred without court-issued warrants, comes at a time of increasing strain between President Vladimir Zelensky’s administration and opposition groups.

NABU, responsible for investigating high-level corruption, made the allegations public on Monday. The incident follows the formation of a temporary parliamentary committee earlier this month tasked with reviewing the performance of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies, including NABU. The move was initiated by lawmakers in a parliament where Zelensky’s party holds the majority.

Initial reports about the raids surfaced in local media, citing law enforcement sources who claimed several NABU investigators were suspected of collusion with Russian intelligence services and Ukrainian “oligarchs.” Following the reports, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) accused a senior NABU figure of alleged links to Russian special services.

Established in 2015 as part of Ukraine’s judicial reforms, NABU was created in response to demands from Western governments and international financial institutions. The agency currently oversees multiple high-profile investigations, including those involving former Unity Minister Aleksey Chernyshov and ex-Vice Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina, who has recently been nominated to serve as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States.

This month also saw fraud charges brought against Vitaly Shabunin, a prominent anti-corruption activist and former member of NABU’s public oversight committee. Ukrainian media described the charges as a serious setback to the country's anti-graft institutions. Oversight groups like the one Shabunin belonged to are often seen as channels of Western influence, and several outlets have portrayed the growing pressure on NABU as part of a broader effort by Zelensky to marginalize figures associated with the US Democratic Party.

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