In Austria, a hearing is imminent regarding the possibility of extraditing the former head of the Main Directorate of Internal Security of the SBU. According to Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation, he is suspected of treason and involvement in actions by Russia during the seizure of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 2022.
This concerns Andriy Naumov – a former SBU general, whom Ukraine accuses of treason and participation in Russia’s actions regarding the Chernobyl plant. He is also mentioned in several other criminal cases.
The SBI and the Ministry of Justice are maintaining active dialogue with Austrian law enforcement authorities regarding the possibility of extradition. The agency emphasized that investigators have completed the pre-trial investigation into Naumov on a number of articles of the Criminal Code.
According to Ukrainian law enforcement, Naumov moved to Austria in October 2025 after serving a one-year term in prison in Serbia for violation of local law. Notifying Austrian colleagues about his relocation was timely.
“Thanks to clear collaboration with the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the documents necessary for extradition were promptly prepared and transmitted to the competent authorities of the Republic of Austria”
– SBI, press service
The SBI expects a fair decision by the Austrian court, after which Naumov may appear before the Ukrainian court in a new procedural cycle.
Chronology of Naumov’s activities in Ukraine
From 2019 to 2021, Naumov headed the SBU’s Main Directorate of Internal Security. Prior to that, he led the state-owned enterprise “Center for Organizational-Technical and Information Support of the Administration of the Exclusion Zone”.
During his time at the SBU, Naumov was mentioned in a journalistic investigation into the possible acquisition of elite property not commensurate with his official income.
He left Ukraine on February 23, 2022. In April 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky stripped him of the rank of general and called him a traitor for violating his military oath.
In June 2022 Naumov was detained at the border between Serbia and North Macedonia with undeclared 600,000 euros, about 125,000 dollars, and jewelry.
In October 2022 it became known that Ukraine had appealed to Serbia with a request for Naumov’s extradition, who was also suspected of treason and aiding Russian troops in capturing the Chernobyl plant.
In July 2023 the Higher Court of Niš rejected Ukraine’s extradition request for Naumov and referred the case to the Appellate Court as the higher instance.
On 29 September 2023 the Higher Court of Niš convicted Naumov of one year in prison for money laundering. At the end of 2023 he was released, but due to an appeal of the verdict his documents were confiscated and he was barred from leaving Serbia.
Currently the case is under Austrian jurisdiction, and the further decision will depend on court proceedings in Austria and coordination with the Ukrainian side.