NABU "Carthage" operation searches Prosecutor General's office; Kravchenko denies involvement

Why it matters

The case targets allegations of systemic corruption at the very top of Ukraine's prosecution service — that a senior OGP official ran a criminal organization protecting a large fraudulent call-center economy, with possible links to the Prosecutor General himself. It could determine whether Prosecutor General Kravchenko stays in office and tests whether Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions can investigate the country's top prosecutor. The operation also draws attention to the scale of Ukraine-based call-center fraud against EU and UK citizens, a problem Western partners have repeatedly flagged.

What happened

On 4 September 2026, NABU and SAP announced Operation "Carthage," exposing a criminal organization they say was created in mid-2025 and led by a senior OGP official who, with current prosecutors and outside associates, systematically took bribes from fraudulent call centers that defrauded Ukrainian and foreign citizens. NABU reports that over UAH 20 million was spent on real estate, jewelry and valuables, over UAH 10 million was placed on bank accounts of related persons, and the organizer had previously acquired elite real estate in a Carpathian apartment complex worth at least UAH 12 million. Five participants have been exposed under Articles 255 (creation and leadership of a criminal organization) and 209 (legalization of criminally obtained property) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, carrying up to 15 years' imprisonment.

Around midnight on 5 September, NABU detectives conducted searches in premises used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his First Deputy Maria Vdovychenko, and other OGP staff. Media reports identified the detained suspect as Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the OGP Department of International Cooperation, code-named "Chancellor" ("Канцлер") in NABU recordings. On 6 September, the High Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS) ordered Kropyva held in custody until 2 November with an alternative bail of UAH 120 million; he is suspected of laundering about UAH 89.9 million across two episodes.

NABU recordings also feature a figure called "Shef" — described as a former head of the State Tax Service addressed by the patronymic "Andriyovych." Media outlets note these markers match Kravchenko, who headed the State Tax Service from December 2024 to June 2025 before becoming Prosecutor General. NABU has not publicly named Kravchenko or notified him of suspicion. Kravchenko publicly denied any involvement, said the implicated OGP employee was suspended and is being prepared for dismissal, ordered an audit of the Department of International Cooperation and the cybercrime unit, and ordered polygraph tests for all relevant staff.

The OGP pushed back against the searches. It said the court ruling cited only everyday conversations (a reference to "dark tiles," alarm installation, and indoor sensors) and contained no direct evidence that Kravchenko gave instructions to facilitate call-center operations or received criminal proceeds. It also said NABU detectives obtained access to materials of other criminal proceedings, including matters concerning possible wrongdoing by persons linked to SAP leadership and information from covert investigative actions regarding possible unlawful activity of NABU and SAP employees, and demanded a legal assessment of whether that access was covered by court authorization. The State Tax Service said it was ready to cooperate with anti-corruption bodies in investigating possible involvement of its employee while stressing that public suspicion is not proof of guilt.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All supplied sources are Ukrainian. Coverage focuses on the institutional clash between NABU/SAP and the OGP: the OGP's denial that searches targeted Kravchenko personally, its complaint that the court ruling cited only everyday conversations, its claim that detectives accessed materials outside the authorized scope, and its demand for a legal assessment. Ukrainian media (Ukrainska Pravda, ZN.UA, Bihus.Info) also reported at length on investigative markers pointing to Kravchenko as "Shef," allegations about a Kozyn house linked to Kravchenko, and reports that he was briefly untraceable after the operation began — claims Kravchenko and the OGP have rejected. Kravchenko's own statistical defense — over 1,050 searches, around 340 call centers shut down, 5,000+ operator workstations terminated, 147 proceedings, 183+ suspects, and 93 indictments over 12 months — is reported alongside his stated refusal to resign unless requested by the President and the Verkhovna Rada.

Where reporting differs

Sources differ on whether Kravchenko "disappeared" or was hospitalized after the operation began: Ukrainska Pravda reported he could not be located for over 12 hours; ZN.UA reported he was at the Dobrobut clinic in Kyiv; Kravchenko, his spokesperson Nataliya Baiurko, and the Dobrobut network all denied he was at the clinic and said he was at his workplace. Sources also differ on whether Kravchenko is the figure called "Shef" in the recordings: NABU has not publicly named him, but media analyses identify him via the former-State-Tax-Service and "Andriyovych" markers, while Kravchenko denies any involvement. The OGP and NABU differ on the scope of the searches, with the OGP saying detectives obtained access to materials of unrelated criminal proceedings, including matters concerning possible wrongdoing by NABU and SAP staff and persons linked to SAP leadership, and demanding a legal assessment. Reports of the laundered amount also vary: most cite over UAH 20 million on real estate/jewelry, over UAH 10 million on bank accounts of related persons, and at least UAH 12 million in Carpathian real estate; the Kropyva court hearing produced a separate suspect-specific figure of UAH 89.9 million across two episodes. Finally, UP sources claim President Zelensky was ready to initiate Kravchenko's dismissal but was persuaded to wait by Servant of the People faction head Davyd Arakhamia; neither the President's office nor Arakhamia has publicly confirmed this, and Kravchenko has said he will not resign on his own.

Background

NABU and SAP are Ukraine's principal anti-corruption institutions. Operation "Carthage" concerns allegations that fraudulent call centers operating in Ukraine — defrauding both Ukrainian and foreign citizens, including in the EU and UK — have been protected by officials in the Office of the Prosecutor General in exchange for systematic bribes. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko previously headed the State Tax Service from December 2024 to June 2025 before being appointed Prosecutor General; in NABU recordings the figure called "Shef" is described as a former head of the State Tax Service addressed by the patronymic "Andriyovych," matching Kravchenko's markers, though NABU has not publicly named him. According to NABU sources, around 2,000 fraudulent call centers may operate in Ukraine, and the investigation focuses on how a "single window" of monthly protection payments was allegedly distributed among several security and law-enforcement bodies.