From the first day of the full-scale russian invasion, the National Bureau joined the fight against the enemy. In the conditions of martial law, NABU was primarily involved in helping the Armed Forces, the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (DIU), the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), and the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state.

On Feb. 25, 2022, the National Bureau formed an operational-combat combined (non-staff) unit consisting of special operations fighters, over 100 Detectives, and other NABU employees. This unit, together with the defenders of Kyiv and other cities, performed a wide range of tasks: defense of administrative buildings, patrolling, filtration activities, etc. By providing timely and valuable information, the unit helped the Armed Forces destroy the enemy, avoid shelling, and save the lives of the Ukrainian military.

NABU helped identify and prosecute several Russian servicemen suspected of torture of the rector of the church in the village of Bohdanivka, the Brovary District; torture of a territorial defense soldier in the same village of Bohdanivka; torture of civilians in the village of Mokrets, the Brovary District; execution of civilians in the village Peremoha, the Brovary District. Since the NABU Detectives combine operative and investigative skills, their experience and procedural status allowed them to conduct pretrial inquiries in relevant cases successfully. An important contribution to the identification of russian servicemen who committed crimes in Ukraine was made by the NABU employees with OSINT skills.

A major contribution was also made by the employees of the Internal Control Department, who provided practical assistance in conducting psychophysiological tests with the use of polygraph. This helped obtain a significant amount of operational and military information, which was useful to the Armed Forces and helped weaken the enemy’s capabilities.

Part of the National Bureau team was engaged by the PGO in carrying out information and analytical work in criminal proceedings based on the facts of russia’s military aggression. More than 1,550 examinations of open data sources were carried out in order to record war crimes committed by Russian servicemen.

Special attention was paid to the analysis of the assets of russian elites. A number of NABU employees joined the interdepartmental Task Force project to identify the assets of the russian politicians and businessmen who support the aggression. More than 200 inquiries were sent to the competent authorities abroad about the property of russian senators, identified signs of their assets in more than 30 countries, and initiated the seizure of the property of seven russian senators in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the USA, Great Britain, Cyprus, etc.

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At the beginning of March 2022, joint operational combat groups were formed from among the National Bureau staff and the SSU military personnel. As part of these groups, NABU employees helped identify and neutralize several subversive and intelligence groups, identify individuals who adjusted enemy fire on critical infrastructure facilities. NABU special operations fighters were constantly involved in safeguarding such groups on almost 90 occasions in the Kharkiv and Odesa regions. At the same time, the NABU employees with demining skills took part in cleaning the territories of the Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions. They examined and neutralized unexploded ordnance in residential buildings, social infrastructure facilities, roads, and parks.

Працівник НАБУ під час виконання бойового завдання

The National Bureau established effective interaction with DIU — a number of NABU employees were seconded to DIU’s Interdepartmental Coordination Center. As a result of this cooperation, more than 180 messages were received and used by the relevant units of the Armed Forces. In particular, the timely exchange of information between DIU and NABU helped prevent the Ukrainian military from falling into an ambush by the russian occupiers outside Kyiv.

Although NABU personnel are not subject to conscription during mobilization, some employees volunteered to join the ranks of the Armed Forces and are taking part in hostilities. One of the National Bureau Detectives received serious multiple injuries in shelling in the Kharkiv region.

Thanks to the efforts of medics, his condition is now stable. For their significant contribution to the fight against the enemy and the protection of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, seven employees of the National Bureau were awarded the Order of Courage of the Third Degree, the Irreproachable Service Medal, the Defender of the Motherland Medal, and the Order of Danylo Halytskyy.