The end of the era of "elusiveness": how a video with bundles of dollars in a "Nova Poshta" package became fatal for Tymoshenko

The end of the era of "elusiveness": how a video with bundles of dollars in a "Nova Poshta" package became fatal for Tymoshenko

"She is going to prison." How Yuliya Tymoshenko faced the first real accusation.

Yuliya Tymoshenko has remained a politician impossible to directly expose for decades—neither in financial machinations, nor in backroom deals, nor even in her own office. Therefore, the events of January 13 became a true turning point. At 9:30 PM, Tymoshenko was in her office on Turiivska Street in Kyiv, where representatives of NABU and SAPO arrived. A police unit, reportedly called by her ally and one of the main sponsors of the «Batkivshchyna» party, Kostyantyn Bondaryev, soon left the scene. The anti-corruption agencies stayed and captured a key moment: a video shows four stacks of dollars being laid out on the table in front of Yuliya Tymoshenko from a «Nova Poshta» package.

Investigative actions continued until the morning and concluded with the issuance of a suspicion notice for attempting to bribe members of parliament. After this, Tymoshenko headed to the Verkhovna Rada, where from the podium she accused NABU and SAPO of «lawlessness,» while the public was already discussing audio recordings obtained during the searches.

This incident did not come out of nowhere. A year earlier, NABU and SAPO conducted the «Clean City» operation, aimed at combating corruption in Kyiv’s land and budget spheres. The central figure at the time was former MP Denys Komarnytskyi. Wiretapping installed in his office recorded candid conversations. According to sources in law enforcement, Yulia Tymoshenko was among the visitors to the office. Komarnytskyi has long been considered one of the sponsors of «Batkivshchyna» in political and bureaucratic circles. Back then, the case was limited to a warning: with the assistance of SSU employees and the Department of Strategic Investigations, Komarnytskyi left the country, and Tymoshenko continued to discuss sensitive matters exclusively on her own turf. In October of the previous year, NABU and SAPO conducted searches at Komarnytskyi’s location in Vienna, but she ignored this warning as well.

In the second episode, the situation became harsher. At the center of events was MP from «Servant of the People» Ihor Kopytin. It was him whom Tymoshenko named as an NABU agent during the trial, alleging that he had recorded her actions. Political circles agree that Kopytin was in her office on January 13. He publicly denied the accusations, stating that he was not involved in the case and added that, within the framework of the pre-trial investigation, he is not allowed to comment on the situation. It is known that Kopytin holds an ID as a Main Intelligence Directorate employee with the rank of captain and maintains close ties with Kyrylo Budanov. An important detail: the money, which, according to the investigation, was offered in exchange for abstaining from voting, was not accepted by the NABU agent, and Kopytin ultimately voted «in favor.»

Now the main question is not who exactly recorded Tymoshenko’s actions, but whose money she intended to distribute and with whom her interests and resources aligned. In political and law enforcement circles, three possible versions are being discussed. The first is a connection with Andriy Yermak: Tymoshenko has maintained contacts with the President’s Office for many years, and her ally Serhiy Vlasenko actively advocated for an attempt to strip NABU and SAPO of their independence last summer. The second is Russian influence: destabilizing the work of the parliament and the country’s manageability is objectively beneficial to the aggressor. The third is financial-industrial groups: according to sources, Tymoshenko maintains a connection with Ihor Kolomoisky, despite his detention in a pre-trial detention center.

During the searches, five phones were seized from Tymoshenko, the contents of which are currently being studied. It is there that answers may be found regarding the origin of the money and the phrase «crush the majority,» recorded during the investigation. According to sources in anti-corruption agencies, the crime is considered complete at the moment the bribe is offered. The case is not extensive, and in the absence of external interference, it will be transferred to court within a few months.