NABU searches Prosecutor General's office; OPG disputes scope of searches
Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General confirmed that NABU detectives conducted searches around midnight in offices used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and First Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovychenko as part of an investigation into alleged cover-up of fraudulent call centers. The OPG acknowledged the searches but disputed their scope and justification, saying the materials cited in the warrant contain no direct evidence against Kravchenko or Vdovychenko and that the link to possible criminal activity rests on assumptions.
Key points
- NABU and SAP announced a special operation, code-named "Carthage," on 4 September targeting a criminal organization linked to fraudulent call centers.
- Around midnight, NABU detectives searched offices used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, First Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovychenko, and other OPG staff.
- According to UP sources, NABU and SAP detained Serhiy Kropyva, head of the OPG cyber department, in connection with alleged cover-up of call centers.
- During the searches, NABU gained access to materials from a case on possible unlawful actions of persons close to SAP leadership, which OPG says was investigated under its own procedural guidance.
- OPG is seeking a separate legal assessment of whether the scale of the searches and the materials accessed were covered by court permits.
- OPG says the search warrant cites conversations about "dark tiles," alarm systems, and possible amendments to Order No. 309, but argues these contain no direct evidence that Kravchenko facilitated call centers or received improper benefits.
- OPG says the question of dismissing the OPG employee implicated in the probe is being resolved and an internal service investigation has been launched.
Why it matters
The searches directly target the office of Ukraine's Prosecutor General, an unusually high-level law-enforcement action that places the head of the country's prosecution service within the scope of an anti-corruption probe. The OPG's public pushback against NABU signals an open institutional confrontation between two pillars of Ukraine's law-enforcement architecture, and the dispute over whether NABU exceeded its judicial authorization raises broader questions about the boundaries of anti-corruption investigations. The reported detention of an OPG cyber-department head and the opening of dismissal proceedings show the probe has already produced concrete personnel consequences.
What happened
On 4 September, NABU and SAP announced operation "Carthage," a special operation against a criminal organization linked to fraudulent call centers. Around midnight, NABU detectives searched office premises used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, First Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovychenko, and other OPG employees. According to Ukrainska Pravda sources, NABU and SAP also detained Serhiy Kropyva, head of the OPG cyber department, in connection with alleged cover-up of call centers. During the searches, detectives gained access to materials from a separate case on possible unlawful actions of persons close to SAP leadership, which OPG says it had been supervising procedurally, and to materials from another case including covert-investigation material on possible unlawful activity by NABU and SAP staff. OPG confirmed the searches but said it needs to establish whether the scope of access matched the subject of the proceeding and whether materials were examined, copied, or seized under judicial authorization. OPG argued the warrant's cited conversations, including references to "dark tiles," alarm systems, and possible amendments to Order No. 309, contain no direct evidence that Kravchenko facilitated call centers, obstructed investigations, or received improper benefits, and that the link to criminal activity is based mainly on assumptions. OPG said the question of dismissing the implicated OPG employee is being resolved and an internal service investigation has been launched.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All six supplied sources are Ukrainian-language outlets based in Ukraine, so coverage reflects a uniform domestic perspective. Ukrainian reporting centers the institutional conflict between the OPG and NABU/SAP, foregrounding the OPG's procedural grievances about the scope of the searches, the judicial authorization cited, and alleged overreach by detectives. Coverage presents the OPG's defense of Kravchenko and Vdovychenko in detail, characterizing the warrant's cited conversations, including those about "dark tiles," alarm systems, and Order No. 309, as insufficient evidence built largely on assumptions. Sources highlight the OPG's stated readiness to cooperate with the investigation while insisting on procedural limits, framing the dispute as one about legal boundaries rather than the underlying substance of the case. The detention of OPG cyber-department head Serhiy Kropyva is reported via UP sources and treated as part of the broader operation rather than as a confirmed institutional scandal.
Where reporting differs
On the evening of 4 September, OPG spokesperson Mariana Haiovska told Ukrainska Pravda that no investigative actions had been conducted at the Prosecutor General's home or office, while the OPG subsequently confirmed that NABU searches had taken place around midnight in the offices used by Kravchenko and Vdovychenko. Ukrainska Pravda's sources in political circles also claim Kravchenko could not be located since the start of operation "Carthage," whereas the OPG asserts Kravchenko was at his workplace on Saturday.
Background
NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) and SAP (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office) are Ukraine's principal anti-corruption institutions and have previously clashed with the Prosecutor General's office. Operation "Carthage" is the NABU/SAP special operation announced on 4 September targeting a criminal organization allegedly tied to fraudulent call centers.