The leader of the “Motherland” parliamentary faction was suspected of bribery.
This was reported to Babel by sources in law enforcement agencies.
Suspicion was reported under Article 369 of the Criminal Code (offering or giving a bribe to an official). Law enforcement officers will file a petition for the election of a preventive measure to the MP.
SAPO confirmed that Tymoshenko was declared a suspect, and specified the article — Part 4 of Article 369. According to the investigation, in December 2025, she initiated negotiations with individual peopleʼs deputies in order to regularly pay them for voting.
It was not about one-time agreements, but about regular cooperation that involved payments in advance and was designed for a long period.
Peopleʼs deputies were to receive instructions on how to vote, and in some cases, whether to abstain or not to vote.
NABU and SAPO also released recordings of a wiretap of Tymoshenkoʼs alleged conversation with a peopleʼs deputy, where she explains in Russian in a whisper how and for what to vote: "We pay ten for two sessions. We pay by subscription. If we agree with you, we record who will be with you."
"It is desirable that there are no failures. Because everything is connected with us. That is, we want to crush this majority, so we should not give them any leeway. So talk to your comrades. Of course, there will be no penalties," the suspect explains to her interlocutor.
The investigation recorded that Tymoshenko discussed the transfer of funds with MPs on the Signal messenger. There, she also gave instructions about voting. They concerned not only draft laws, but also personnel decisions of the parliament.
In particular, law enforcement officers found a message from Tymoshenko, where she sends instructions on voting for the latest personnel changes in the government — the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense and Denys Shmyhal as the head of the Ministry of Energy, and the resignation of Vasyl Malyuk as the head of SBU.
What preceded
On January 13, NABU and SAPO stated that the head of one of the factions in the Verkhovna Rada offered to "buy" the votes of MPs from other factions.
Two sources (one from the Verkhovna Rada, the other close to anti-corruption bodies) confirmed to Babel that this refers to the head of the “Motherland” faction Yulia Tymoshenko.
Tymoshenko confirmed that searches were conducted at the “Motherland” party office throughout the night of January 13-14. The MP denied any accusations. She added that her phones, parliamentary documents, and personal savings were taken from her.
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