‘Pour Acid on His Face’: NABU Tapes Reveal Plot to Attack Journalist Denys Bihus

Ukraine’s anti-corruption investigators have released recordings in which members of an alleged criminal organization discuss attacking investigative journalist Denys Bihus, blogger Ihor Lachenkov, and a veteran who refused to cooperate with them. The recordings, published on Wednesday, Nov. 4 by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), are part of Operation Carthage, an investigation into alleged criminal networks involving fraudulent call centers, illegal businesses, and their protection by senior law enforcement officials.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. According to the recordings, members of the organization discussed physically assaulting Bihus or pouring acid on his face after learning about his investigation into U420, a rapidly expanding chain of stores suspected of selling illegal psychotropic substances disguised as souvenirs. The recordings were first highlighted by investigative outlet Bihus.Info. One of the suspects also suggested physically harming Lachenkov, a Ukrainian journalist and blogger known online as Lachеn. The men questioned whether attacks on the journalists would trigger a public outcry and whether “half the world” would come to their defense. Suspects discussed acid attacks on veteran The recordings also reveal discussions about intimidating civil society organizations that began investigating the alleged criminal network after Bihus.Info’s reporting. Other Topics of Interest Zelensky’s Former Press Secretary Iuliia Mendel Accused of Treason Mendel, who reportedly lives in the Us with her husband, is accused of justifying Russia’s full-scale war and was notified of the suspicion in absentia According to the conversations, members of the organization considered offering activists money or simply ordering them to stop their work. One veteran reportedly refused to cooperate. The suspects then discussed ways to attack him, including pouring acid on him during protests or beating him with hammers. U420 under investigation over alleged drug sales In March 2026, Bihus.Info published an investigation into U420, presenting laboratory test results that it said confirmed the chain was selling a dangerous psychotropic substance disguised as “souvenirs.” U420 opened its first physical stores in Kyiv in spring 2025. The chain has since expanded to approximately 30 locations in the capital and announced plans to enter other major Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa. Its advertising has appeared in Kyiv’s metro, while promotional leaflets offering customers so-called “testers” have been distributed on the streets. NABU-SBU confrontation escalates over Carthage case The release of the recordings comes amid an escalating confrontation between NABU and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) over the same investigation. On Nov. 4, NABU accused a senior SBU official of threatening its detectives with a firearm and preventing them from entering an area where they were conducting a court-authorized search. The agency said SBU special forces also arrived at the scene, describing the interference as “unacceptable.” The SBU later confirmed that searches were taking place and called for an “objective and impartial investigation.” NABU did not identify the official. However, Ukrainska Pravda, citing its own sources, identified him as SBU General Serhiy Duka. The searches were part of Operation Carthage, a broader investigation into alleged protection schemes involving fraudulent call centers and other illegal businesses. The investigation previously led to the ouster of Ukraine’s prosecutor general, after wiretapped conversations implicated his subordinates in the alleged schemes. On Wednesday, NABU said it had uncovered additional evidence pointing to the involvement of senior officials from the SBU, the National Police and the Prosecutor General’s Office. Ukrainian media, citing law enforcement sources, reported that investigators had conducted approximately 70 searches across the country. The breakthrough reportedly followed the extraction of information from the phone of Andriy Osipov, a suspect detained in a separate case who allegedly had links to senior SBU officials. According to Ukrainska Pravda, searches also targeted other SBU officials, including Anton Kravchuk, head of the agency’s internal security department, and Oleksandr Kovalchuk, first deputy head of the Main Department “D” within the SBU’s Department for the Protection of National Statehood. Longstanding tensions between Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies and SBU The confrontation is the latest episode in a prolonged struggle between NABU and the SBU over the independence and jurisdiction of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions. In July 2025, the SBU accused NABU of employing individuals with alleged links to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). The allegations preceded an attempt by the government to bring NABU and SAPO under the authority of the Prosecutor General’s Office, effectively weakening their institutional independence. The move triggered nationwide protests and drew criticism from Ukraine’s Western partners. Parliament subsequently reversed the decision, restoring the agencies’ independence. Since then, NABU investigations have targeted senior government officials over alleged corruption, including kickback schemes involving Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company. The investigation contributed to the dismissal of Ukraine’s energy and justice ministers, while senior officials in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office were also forced out after being implicated in related cases. Despite their institutional rivalry, NABU and the SBU have also cooperated on other investigations, including a state embezzlement case involving the procurement of tank armor for Ukraine’s military. The latest recordings add another dimension to the Carthage investigation, suggesting that the alleged criminal network sought not only to protect its business interests through connections in law enforcement but also to intimidate journalists and others investigating its activities. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.