On February 26, Diia.City Union, in partnership with UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group, held a meeting in the format of DeCode Sessions, a series of dialogues between the IT community and representatives of the Government and state institutions. The special guest of the event was Semen Kryvonos, Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
The event traditionally began with an introduction to the speaker's personal story: his path to the position and his vision of the role of a leader in times of war and political pressure. Describing his own management style, Semen Kryvonos called it command-and-control and emphasized the qualities he values in a team: initiative, willingness to speak openly about problems without fear of consequences, leadership and integrity.
A separate topic was the public reaction to the events of the summer of 2025. According to the director, the NABU did not expect such support, as the team was in an information bubble formed by systematic leaks and attacks on Telegram channels and media. At the same time, the speaker emphasized that people came out not so much to defend specific institutions, but to defend the principle of independence of the anti-corruption system.
During the discussion, the NABU head shared the current status of Operation Midas, a large-scale investigation of corruption schemes around Energoatom. Investigators have managed to collect a significant amount of evidence: digital media, phones, and call recordings. Some of the persons recorded under the nicknames have already been identified, others are still being identified. At the same time, the NABU is cooperating with international partners to trace accounts, transactions and cryptocurrency operations.
«This is a multi-level investigation, and it's not over yet. The case should be brought to court by November 2026.», Semen Kryvonos noted.
In the context of European integration, they discussed the impact of anti-corruption processes on Ukraine's international image. Despite public scandals, according to partners, Ukraine's position in the anti-corruption track has improved due to effective investigations. In the coming years, the NABU's strategic priorities will include tackling systemic corruption in the defense and energy sectors, as well as in tax, customs, and law enforcement agencies.
Speaking about the obstacles to prosecution, the speaker identified two levels of problems. Procedural, which is the complexity of examinations and evidence collection, as well as the abuse of procedural rights. And the systemic one - the weakness of individual institutions and their political dependence.
A significant part of the program was devoted to digital tools and transformation. The NABU is currently developing systems for rapid information collection and analysis of large data sets, and is considering the introduction of an AI assistant. The main difficulties include restrictions on working with classified data and the high cost of technological solutions capable of learning from such material and conducting in-depth analysis.
Diia.City Union expresses its gratitude for the open and meaningful dialogue with the IT business and confirms its readiness to join digital initiatives and technology projects necessary to strengthen Ukraine's anti-corruption system.
We thank everyone who joined the meeting! The event was organized by Diia.City Union in partnership with UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group.
