NABU and SAP raid Office of the Prosecutor General in special operation targeting alleged call-center racket
Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies NABU and SAP announced on September 4 a special operation at the Office of the Prosecutor General, targeting a criminal organization led by an official of that office. The organization is suspected of providing cover for a network of fraudulent call centers and laundering proceeds. Some sources identify the detained official as Serhiy Kropyva, head of the OPG's cyber department, though the OPG had not commented at the time of reporting.
Key points
- On September 4, NABU and SAP announced a special operation targeting a criminal organization led by an official of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
- The organization is suspected of providing cover ('kryshuvannia') for a network of fraudulent call centers.
- The organization is also suspected of laundering property.
- Some sources, citing Ukrainska Pravda, identified the detained official as Serhiy Kropyva, head of the OPG's cyber department; other sources referred only to 'an official of the Office of the Prosecutor General.'
- NABU employees were filmed climbing the fence of the OPG building in Kyiv with ladders as part of the operation.
- NABU stated that procedural actions are ongoing and that further details would be reported later.
- The Office of the Prosecutor General had not commented on or confirmed the reports at the time of publication.
Why it matters
The investigation reaches into Ukraine's top prosecutorial office, raising questions about integrity at the heart of the country's law-enforcement system. The suspects are accused of 'kryshuvannia' — protection activity — for fraudulent call centers, linking senior prosecutors to large-scale fraud against citizens, and the case additionally alleges money laundering, pointing to possible financial proceeds from the scheme.
What happened
On September 4, NABU and SAP announced a special operation at the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine aimed at exposing a criminal organization led by an official of that office. According to NABU and SAP, members of the organization are suspected of providing cover for a network of fraudulent call centers and of laundering property. Investigative (procedural) actions were carried out at the OPG building in Kyiv; Ukrainska Pravda filmed NABU employees entering the premises by climbing the fence with ladders. The agencies said details of the operation would be reported later. Some sources, citing Ukrainska Pravda's contacts in business circles, identified the detained official as Serhiy Kropyva, head of the OPG's cyber department; other outlets referred only to 'an official of the Office of the Prosecutor General.' The Office of the Prosecutor General had not commented on or confirmed the media reports at the time of publication.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All sourced coverage is from Ukrainian outlets. Ukrainian-language reporting frames the story around NABU and SAP's official announcement of a special operation against a criminal organization. The outlets anchor on official terminology such as 'спецоперація' and 'злочинна організація.' Ukrainska Pravda is the source for the on-the-record identification of the detained official as Serhiy Kropyva and for the visual detail of NABU personnel entering the OPG building with ladders.
Where reporting differs
Some sources describe the detained official only as 'an official of the Office of the Prosecutor General,' while others — citing Ukrainska Pravda sources in business circles — identify him specifically as Serhiy Kropyva, head of the OPG's cyber department. Separately, the Office of the Prosecutor General had not commented on or confirmed the reports at the time of publication, while NABU and SAP continued to describe procedural actions as ongoing.
Background
On September 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, two draft laws: one strengthening liability for organizing fraudulent call centers and participating in them, and another providing additional protection for citizens against illegal actions with payment instruments and bank accounts. Earlier, on August 12, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko stated that the SBU and National Police had exposed 94 fraudulent call centers in a large-scale operation covering multiple oblasts, with 411 searches and seizures of more than 3,330 units of computer equipment, 1,346 phones, 5,238 SIM cards, 20 crypto wallets, and 90 bank cards; the operation eliminated 1,794 operator 'workplaces.'