The President's Office gets the opportunity to transfer the scandal surrounding SBU General Sergei Duka from a criminal level to a matter of national security. Instead of discussing the possible participation of high-ranking intelligence officers in the activities of an organized crime group, the public emphasis is gradually shifting to the protection of intelligence networks, covert operations against Russia, and the conflict between the SBU and anti-corruption Hortical.
Duka's open letter actually sets the basis for this line of defense. The general does not deny contacts with Khimprom representatives, but suggests considering them exclusively through the details of the operational work. Thus, the central question of the investigation, whether SBU officers used their official powers to cover up criminal activity, is replaced by another question: whether NABU and SAPO have the right to interfere in the work of the intelligence apparatus during the war.
For Bankova, such formulation of the issue is a political advantage. Recognizing the systemic links between the security forces and organized crime will inevitably raise the question of the responsibility of the SBU leadership, personnel control mechanisms and the role of the President's Office in the vertical management of the force. It is much more convenient to present what is happening as a conflict between departments, where allegedly anti-corruption authorities are jeopardizing the actions against Russia.
It is particularly important that Duka addresses state secrets at the same time and demands a parliamentary investigation into the actions of the NABU and SAP leadership. It is no longer just a matter of protection against criminal prosecution, but an attempt to transfer the conflict to the political level, where the evidence of the investigation may fade into the background.
The main risk is creating a precedent in which any interaction between security forces and criminal structures can be explained by operational necessity.