Sense Bank reacts to the arrest of a top bank official who “donated” to the Russian army

20 January 14:30

Sense Bank, a state-owned bank, said it will assist law enforcement agencies in investigating the director of the bank’s information systems support department, who was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine on suspicion of financing the war of the aggressor country, Russia, against Ukraine. This is stated in the bank’s statement, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.

Sense Bank noted that since its nationalization in 2023, the bank has been state-owned and operates in accordance with the “principles of transparency and full accountability.”

“The bank adheres to a zero-tolerance policy towards the aggressor country, which implies a principled position on the impossibility of any cooperation with Russia and its citizens. Therefore, all Sense Bank services are working closely with the SBU, the National Bank of Ukraine and other government agencies to identify and prevent possible similar offenses,” the statement said.

Sense Bank also emphasized that the detention of the financial institution’s official “in no way affects the stability of the bank, the security of client funds and data, or the conduct of operations.”

“All the bank’s systems are operating normally, and our specialists ensure full continuity of customer service. Sense Bank continues to fulfill its obligations to customers and contribute to the stability of the financial system of Ukraine,” the bank added.

It should be noted that on January 18, 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine detained in Kyiv the director of a department of one of the country’s largest banks, who “donated” to the Russian army.

The investigation revealed that the man regularly transferred his money to the needs of the Russian occupation groups. For this purpose, after the outbreak of a full-scale war, the banker opened an account on one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

Through this platform, the suspect transferred funds to the digital wallets of the racists. Law enforcement officers are currently establishing the exact amount of his “donations”.

According to the case file, the Ukrainian banker received information about raising money for the needs of the occupiers on thematic Telegram channels.

SBU officers documented the official’s crimes and detained him at his residence in Kyiv. During the search of the detainee’s residence, the SBU found a Russian passport, Russian rubles, mobile phones and a computer with evidence of crimes.

SBU investigators served the official a notice of suspicion under Part 1 Art. 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding the aggressor state).

The offender is in custody without the right to be released on bail. He faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Остафійчук Ярослав
Editor