German Authorities Conduct Major Raids on Former Ukrainian Presidential Office Deputy in Munich: Details and Implications
On July 15, in the town of Shtarnberg, Bavaria, simultaneous searches were carried out by German law enforcement agencies at the request of Ukrainian investigators.
These operations targeted Rostislav Shurma, a former deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, who previously oversaw key economic sectors and was a close associate of Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the German publication Spiegel, investigators acted following a request from Ukrainian authorities aimed at gathering additional evidence and conducting procedural actions regarding possible involvement of Shurma in corruption schemes.
The information source is Spiegel, which confirms that the raids took place precisely on that day.
Ukrainian sources, including Ukrayinska Pravda, report that on the day of the raid, Shurma called a high-ranking official from the Office of the President and informed them that investigators from NABU and German law enforcement had discovered his property near Munich and conducted a search with the seizure of his phone.
The joint operation was initiated based on a request for international legal assistance from Ukraine.
This incident marks another episode in the series of interactions between Ukrainian law enforcement and their international partners in the fight against corruption.
It is noted that a week after these events, President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly accused NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of ineffectiveness and signed legislation significantly restricting these agencies’ independence.
Reports previously indicated that the raid on Shurma was one of the last in a series of actions taken by the President, who, while publicly asserting his commitment to fighting corruption, also seeks to control and limit the powers of prosecutors and anti-corruption bodies.