Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court set bail on 16 January at UAH 33 mn ($761,000) for former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who faces charges of bribing lawmakers to vote her way on legislation.
The same anti-corruption agencies Tymoshenko celebrated crippling in July are now prosecuting her—and they've already forced the resignation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's powerful chief of staff.
Six months ago, she called gutting anti-corruption agencies “the brightest day in parliament.”
"That 'brightest day' has now turned into perhaps the darkest for her political career," Oleksandr Salizhenko, editor-in-chief of the civic watchdog Chesno, told Euromaidan Press.
NABU alleges vote-buying ring
The case emerged from a larger anti-corruption sweep. On 27 December 2025, NABU and SAPO announced they had dismantled a vote-buying ring inside parliament—a hierarchical structure involving sitting MPs and Rada staff who coordinated through WhatsApp.
Payments ranged from $2,000 to $20,000 per lawmaker based on "voting efficiency ratings." Five lawmakers—all from Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party—received formal suspicions.
According to investigators, Tymoshenko moved to fill the void. After the bust, she allegedly began recruiting MPs at higher rates—$10,000 monthly versus the $2,000-5,000 the previous scheme had offered.
NABU stated that Tymoshenko initiated negotiations with individual lawmakers "on the introduction of a systematic mechanism for providing illegal benefits in exchange for loyal behavior during voting."
The agency published audio recordings, and what it describes as instructions Tymoshenko allegedly sent to one lawmaker, directing votes on cabinet appointments. The stated goal on the recordings, according to LB.ua: to "kill" the ruling majority.
Tymoshenko's defense
In court, Tymoshenko identified the voice on NABU recordings as belonging to Ihor Kopytin, a Servant of the People MP who faces his own NABU investigation.
"I absolutely firmly and clearly state that Kopytin, in order to free himself from criminal liability, transferred to NABU or did everything necessary to ensure that it was compiled, so that it would not correspond to reality," Tymoshenko told the court. She insists the published conversations "are a completely fabricated recording" and demands an expert examination.
Prosecutors revealed that investigators seized six mobile phones and a computer from Tymoshenko's office. The computer contained a user account named "Kasa" (cash register) with Excel files spanning 2022-2026. Tymoshenko dismissed this as expenses for "tea, coffee, and cookies."
She does not deny conversations with Kopytin took place, but contests their characterization, claiming they discussed political cooperation rather than money. She criticized NABU's release of the recordings: "It is very regrettable that NABU has turned into a cheap PR agency."
Prosecutors had requested UAH 50 mn bail, but the judge partially approved the motion. Tymoshenko must surrender her passport, remain in Kyiv Oblast, and avoid contact with several MPs connected to the investigation.
When asked about travel plans, Tymoshenko rejected any suggestion she might flee: "I will be here until the country is freed from this, in essence, fascist regime."-+
The investigation continues on day 1,422 of Russia's full-scale invasion.
