Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies have announced that a senior Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer is under investigation for illicit enrichment and hiding assets. While officials did not name him, Ukrainian media identified the suspect as Illia Vitiuk, the former head of the SBU’s cybersecurity department.
Vitiuk was removed from his post in May 2024 after an investigation revealed that his family had purchased property worth at least 25.5 million hryvnias (about $617,000). Questions were raised about how the property was financed.
Reports suggest that Vitiuk’s wife began earning unusually high income after he took the job. She later purchased an expensive apartment in Kyiv at a price lower than its market value. Official documents listed the apartment at 12.8 million hryvnias ($310,000), though investigators say it actually cost 21.6 million hryvnias ($522,000). The property was registered under a family member’s name.
The family explained the purchase by saying the funds came from her work as an individual entrepreneur offering legal and consulting services. However, investigators claim some of the money originated from a businessman accused of embezzling from Ukrainian Railways and linked to organized crime groups. Authorities also noted that about 8.8 million hryvnias ($213,000) of the payment has no clear source.
The SBU has defended Vitiuk, calling the charges an act of “revenge” against the agency. It argued that investigators have not presented solid proof and ignored expert reports that dismissed claims of undervalued property deals.
The case remains under review as anti-corruption bodies and the SBU continue to trade accusations.
