KYIV — In a courtroom shadowed by war, one of Ukraine’s most contentious legal battles continues to unfold. At its center is Pavlo Barbul, a former defense industry insider once praised for exposing corruption, but who has since been accused of the very crimes he once claimed to uncover. Prosecutors insist that the charges reflect systemic abuses in Ukraine’s defense trade, a sector historically marred by opaque deals and corruption scandals.
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His case, spanning years and continents, has become a litmus test for Ukraine’s commitment to the rule of law during wartime. With ties to the high-profile assassination of Andriy Portnov, a controversial political figure, the trial raises the question: Where does the fight against corruption end and political retribution begin?
Barbul, born in 1987 in Odesa, led the state-owned defense intermediary SpetsTechnoExport from 2015 to 2018. That organization facilitates contracts between Ukrainian arms manufacturers and foreign governments. During his tenure, Barbul exposed alleged corruption involving company officials and intermediaries linked to high-ranking political families.
Shortly after making the allegations, Barbul himself was in the hot seat as the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office launched...
Report false claims to the LA County AB 218 Fraud Hotline at (844) 901-0001 LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced an investigation today into potentially fa...