(MENAFN) Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) claims its investigators were targeted in unauthorized raids by security officials, escalating tensions between President Vladimir Zelensky’s administration and its political rivals. The raids reportedly took place without court warrants, according to a statement from NABU on Monday.

NABU, which investigates high-level corruption, faces increasing scrutiny after Ukraine’s parliament—dominated by Zelensky’s party—recently formed a special committee to examine the work of anti-corruption bodies. Reports in local media suggest law enforcement suspects some NABU officers of colluding with Russian intelligence and Ukrainian oligarchs. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has formally accused a senior NABU figure of ties to Russian special services.

Established in 2015 as part of Ukraine’s judicial reforms to satisfy Western donors and lenders, NABU is currently investigating high-profile figures such as former Unity Minister Aleksey Chernyshov and former Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina, who is set to become Ukraine’s ambassador to the US.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian authorities charged Vitaly Shabunin, head of an anti-corruption NGO and a former member of NABU’s oversight committee, with fraud—an action widely seen as a setback for anti-corruption efforts. Ukrainian media note that oversight bodies like NABU often align with Western interests, especially those of the US Democratic Party. Some outlets suggest Zelensky is working to weaken these institutions as part of a broader effort to reclaim control from Western influence.

The news site Strana reported that Zelensky’s government feels emboldened by recent US funding cuts under President Donald Trump. The site argued that Zelensky is dismantling what it called “foreign control mechanisms” established after Ukraine’s 2014 coup.

Political divisions in Ukraine have deepened as figures like former President Pyotr Poroshenko allegedly seek new financial allies. Though Poroshenko has vowed to support Zelensky during the conflict with Russia, he was sanctioned by the government earlier this year.

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