NABU searches Prosecutor General's office in 'Operation Carthage' call-center case; OGP pushes back
In the night of September 5, detectives from Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) searched the official premises of the Office of the Prosecutor General (OGP) used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his first deputy Maria Vdovychenko and other staff, as part of an investigation into alleged protection of fraudulent call centers. The OGP confirmed the searches but questioned whether detectives exceeded the scope of their court authorization and said the cited materials contain no direct evidence linking Kravchenko to the call-center scheme. The OGP also denied media reports that Kravchenko was missing or hospitalized, saying he was at his workplace.
Key points
- On the night of September 5, NABU detectives searched OGP premises used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, first deputy Maria Vdovychenko and other staff.
- The searches are part of 'Operation Carthage,' announced by NABU and SAPO on September 4, targeting an alleged criminal group protecting fraudulent call centers.
- A senior OGP official is named as a figure in the case; media analysis points to Kravchenko as the person with codename 'Shef' on published tapes.
- The OGP says the materials contain no direct evidence that Kravchenko facilitated the call centers, received criminal proceeds or obstructed investigations.
- The OGP is demanding a legal assessment of the searches and says it will examine whether detectives accessed case materials beyond court authorization.
- An internal service investigation has been launched into the implicated OGP employee, with dismissal being considered.
- The OGP denied reports that Kravchenko was missing or at the 'Dobrobut' clinic; spokesperson Natalia Bayurko said he has been at his workplace since the morning.
Why it matters
The searches place Ukraine's top prosecutor inside an active anti-corruption investigation during wartime, and the OGP's public pushback — questioning the scope of NABU's access and demanding a legal assessment — opens an institutional confrontation between the Prosecutor General's Office and the anti-corruption bodies that could shape cooperation on other high-profile cases. Investigators have reported tens of millions of hryvnias in alleged criminal proceeds laundered through real estate and bank accounts by a group that allegedly defrauded Ukrainian and foreign citizens through call centers.
What happened
In the night of September 5, NABU detectives, acting under a court ruling, searched OGP premises used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his first deputy Maria Vdovychenko and other staff. The searches followed NABU and SAPO's September 4 announcement of 'Operation Carthage,' which exposed an alleged criminal group that protected a network of fraudulent call centers; a senior OPG official was named as a figure in the case. According to NABU, participants in the organization systematically received bribes for not obstructing the call centers, which defrauded Ukrainian and foreign citizens, with investigators reporting over 20 million UAH spent on real estate, jewelry and valuable movable property, over 12 million UAH in assets laundered by the group's leader through re-registered property, and over 10 million UAH placed in bank accounts of related persons.
The OGP confirmed the searches but announced it would examine whether the scope of NABU's access matched the underlying case, whether materials were examined, copied or seized, and whether detectives had court authorization. The OGP said the court ruling cited excerpts of an OGP employee's domestic conversations — including a mention of 'dark tiles' in the Prosecutor General's room and discussion of installing alarm systems and internal sensors — and argued that any link between those conversations and criminal proceeds is an assumption. The OPG said it respects NABU and SAPO's institutional independence and is interested in professional interaction between law enforcement agencies, but emphasized that investigative actions must be carried out strictly within the law and court authorizations.
Regarding Kravchenko, the OGP said he is at his workplace and denied reports that he was missing or at the 'Dobrobut' clinic in Kyiv. The State Tax Service said it was ready to assist the investigation and stressed that guilt can only be established by a court. Media also reported the detention of Serhiy Kropyva, head of one of the OGP departments (codename 'Kantsler' on the tapes); the OGP said an internal service investigation has been launched into the implicated employee and that dismissal is being considered.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All sources in this set are Ukrainian, so the framing below describes variation among Ukrainian outlets rather than a Ukrainian-vs-international split. Agency-tier Ukrainian coverage foregrounds the OGP's institutional response: confirming the searches, announcing an internal investigation, demanding a legal assessment of the nighttime actions, and publicly denying that Kravchenko is missing. Media-tier Ukrainian outlets give more weight to reporting on the 'Shef' recordings — with media analysis pointing to Kravchenko as the figure on the tapes — and to the detention of Serhiy Kropyva, as well as sources-based reporting that placed Kravchenko at the 'Dobrobut' clinic, which the OGP officially denies.
Where reporting differs
Ukrainska Pravda sources in political circles say Prosecutor General Kravchenko 'cannot be found' since the start of 'Operation Carthage,' and ZN.UA sources place him at the 'Dobrobut' clinic in Kyiv; the OGP officially denies both reports and says he is at his workplace, with spokesperson Natalia Bayurko stating he has been at his workplace since the morning. Separately, NABU and SAPO conducted the searches under a court ruling that cited OPG employees' domestic conversations, while the OPG argues that those materials contain no direct evidence that Kravchenko facilitated call-center activity and that any link to criminal proceeds is based on assumptions rather than direct data. The OPG is also demanding a legal assessment of whether NABU detectives exceeded the scope of their court authorization; the anti-corruption bodies have not, in the available reporting, conceded any overreach.
Background
On September 4, NABU and SAPO announced 'Operation Carthage,' exposing an alleged criminal group that protected a network of fraudulent call centers and naming a senior OGP official as a figure in the case. Anti-corruption authorities published recordings featuring a person with the codename 'Shef,' described as having previously headed the tax service and addressed by the patronymic Andriyovych — details that media analysis has pointed toward Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. Media also reported the detention, after the searches, of Serhiy Kropyva, head of one of the OGP departments (codename 'Kantsler' on the tapes).