The connection between MP Fedir Khrystenko and the investigation surrounding Mahamedrasulov is pivotal to current accusations involving the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO). On July 20, just prior to searches conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the SSU and PGO charged Khrystenko, who was previously affiliated with the now-banned Opposition Platform – For Life party, with high treason in absentia. They claimed he acted as a senior agent for Russia’s FSB, particularly aiming to bolster Russian influence within NABU.
Khrystenko reportedly became affiliated with Russian intelligence during Viktor Yanukovych’s presidency and purportedly executed tasks for the FSB during the 2014 Revolution of Dignity. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he allegedly continued these activities from abroad. The SSU claims that Khrystenko had a relationship with Mahamedrasulov that dates back to their time at Donetsk University. Investigative materials point to correspondence between Mahamedrasulov’s father and Khrystenko, including mentions of a planned meeting in the European Union and Khrystenko requesting assistance to establish contact with Mahamedrasulov.
However, the SSU and PGO’s communications lack clarity on how exactly Khrystenko influenced NABU. This raises doubts about the evidential foundation for the charges against him. Although Khrystenko was detained in Ukraine on September 6, 2025, and placed in pre-trial detention, the process lacked a formal extradition, relying instead on political arrangements with the country where he was staying.
Manipulative communication tactics have marred the investigation, including leaked information regarding Khrystenko’s supposed contacts with NABU officials. Authorities made claims linking NABU detectives to oligarch Hennadii Boholiubov’s illegal border crossing, citing the incident involving Oleksandr Skomarov, head of a NABU unit, whose wife left Ukraine in a car registered to Khrystenko. Skomarov refuted these claims, asserting he had obtained prior permission from his superiors to evacuate his family.
The SSU and PGO also suggested that NABU detectives aided Boholiubov’s escape, but NABU clarified that the detectives were on an authorized work assignment connected to the Global Forum on Asset Recovery in Vienna, stating that any coincidence of being on the same train with Boholiubov was purely incidental.
Moreover, claims about a connection between oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi and Skomarov regarding potential resolutions to Kolomoiskyi’s criminal issues if Skomarov secured a role at the ESBU were based on vague interpretations of a single communication. This raises questions about the SSU’s motives, suggesting a pattern of using scant evidence to address broader governmental challenges.
Overall, the case is underpinned by a lack of substantive details capable of grounding the accusations while highlighting concerning manipulative tactics from the SSU, which only further complicates the narrative surrounding these investigations.
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