Former Interior Minister Klymenko denied an attempt to bribe him by individuals implicated in the Carthage case

Ihor Klymenko, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and former head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, denied during a closed-door meeting with journalists that he had been offered bribes or subjected to pressure by individuals implicated in the NABU’s large-scale special operation “Carthage.” 

According to him, no one had approached him regarding the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ initiative to ban new formulations of psychotropic substances linked to the “Khimprom” drug cartel, and there are no individuals—either in his inner circle or among his wider circle of acquaintances—capable of exerting such influence on him. The official’s statement was a response to the release of wiretap recordings of suspects in the case, in which they discussed the possibility of reaching agreements with the ministry’s leadership to prevent it from initiating a ban on new psychotropic substance formulas.

Source: Glavkom.

Andriy Nebitov, Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine and Chief of the Criminal Police, issued a statement following the release of audio recordings in which the suspects discussed possible agreements with the leadership of the National Police. The official emphasized that the mention of a surname in the suspects’ conversations does not constitute evidence of involvement in criminal activity. In one of the released audio recordings, dated June 24, 2026, a suspect named Akim (SBU General Duku) tells his interlocutor about an alleged agreement reached with a representative of the National Police leadership. The surname of the official mentioned in the conversation begins with “Ne,” which matches the first letters of Andriy Nebitov’s surname. 

Dmytro Lytvyn, the Ukrainian president’s communications adviser, stated that the case files for “Carthage” do not contain any evidence of bribes being paid to Health Minister Viktor Lyashko or former Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.