Ukraine's anti-corruption court remands driver of senior prosecutor in 'Carthage' call-center case

Why it matters

The 'Carthage' operation strikes at the heart of the Office of the Prosecutor General, the institution nominally responsible for fighting crime in Ukraine. NABU and SAP are pursuing senior officials and their associates, with courts imposing substantial bail and custody measures — Kropyva's alternative bail alone is 120 million hryvnias. The alleged laundering sum tied to Kropyva, around 89.9 million hryvnias, indicates a major financial crime probe. Because the searches reached Kravchenko's own offices and rented home, the case has direct political reach and has already triggered institutional responses inside the OPG, including possible dismissal of seven prosecutors and mass polygraph screening of staff.

What happened

On 7 September 2026, Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (ВАКС) remanded Serhiy Kutsyi, the driver of Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) official Serhiy Kropyva, in custody for 60 days until 3 November with an alternative bail of 3 million hryvnias. Kutsyi, referred to in NABU recordings as 'Komrad', is suspected of participating in a criminal organization and laundering criminally obtained property. The prosecution had asked for 20 million hryvnias in bail; the defense argues there is no evidence Kutsyi 'roofed' call centers or received unlawful benefits and intends to appeal and request house arrest.

Kutsyi's case is part of 'Carthage', a special operation announced by NABU and SAP on 4 September that exposed a criminal organization allegedly led by an OPG official that 'roofed' a network of fraudulent call centers and laundered proceeds. NABU has notified five suspects under Articles 255 and 209 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, carrying up to 15 years' imprisonment. On 6 September ВАКС remanded Kropyva himself — deputy head of the OPG Department of International Cooperation, known in NABU recordings as 'Kantsler' — in custody until 2 November with alternative bail of 120 million hryvnias; he is suspected of laundering over 89.9 million hryvnias. On 7 September ВАКС also remanded Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko ('Muza'), Kropyva's cohabitant, for 60 days with bail of 20 million hryvnias.

Around midnight on 5 September, NABU detectives conducted searches in offices used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, First Deputy Mariya Vdovychenko, and other OPG staff, as well as in a house rented by Kravchenko; Ukrainska Pravda sources also reported searches at Odesa OVA head Oleh Kiper. The OGP disputed the searches, saying the court ruling contained no data tying Kravchenko to facilitating call centers. Kravchenko denies involvement, says he has no procedural status in the case, and frames the situation as political pressure; he has suspended the OPG employee implicated in the investigation, may refer seven prosecutors to the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission for possible dismissal, and ordered mass polygraph screening of relevant OPG staff.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All supplied sources are Ukrainian outlets (Суспільне Новини, Інтерфакс-Україна, Українська правда, hromadske, LIGA.net, NV, Babel, Укрінформ, Новинарня). Ukrainian coverage focuses on the institutional shock inside the Office of the Prosecutor General: searches at the prosecutor general's offices, possible dismissal of seven prosecutors, and mass polygraph screening ordered by Kravchenko. Coverage highlights the alleged scale — 89.9 million hryvnias in laundered property tied to Kropyva and more than 20 million hryvnias in real-estate investments by participants — and the role of investigative outlets such as Bihus.Info in uncovering relatives' assets. Political scientist Ihor Reiterovych is cited saying President Volodymyr Zelensky bears political responsibility for the exposed officials and that parliament could use the case to assert itself. Some outlets emphasize conflict-of-interest and political-pressure framing: Kravchenko's claims that the case amounts to political pressure and his denial of involvement run prominently alongside the OPG's formal objections to the searches.

Where reporting differs

Sources disagree on several points. First, whether Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko had any involvement in the scheme or even disappeared after the start of operation 'Carthage': Ukrainska Pravda, citing political-circle sources, reported that Kravchenko had gone missing; the OGP denied this and Kravchenko himself denied hiding or being hospitalized, while the Dobrobut hospital stated Kravchenko was not a patient there on 5 September, contradicting earlier media reports. Second, the framing of NABU's overnight searches at OGP premises: Kravchenko claimed NABU detectives climbed over the OGP fence rather than disclose which offices they were searching, while the OGP said the court ruling contained no data tying Kravchenko to facilitating call centers or receiving proceeds. Third, whether Serhiy Kropyva actually received unlawful benefits from fraudulent call centers: the prosecution alleges Kutsyi received money from people linked to the call centers and passed it to Kropyva; the defense argues there is no evidence Kutsyi 'roofed' call centers or received illicit benefits. Fourth, the identity of the 'Shef' figure in NABU recordings: the investigation describes 'Shef' as a former head of the State Tax Service, and Kravchenko headed the STS from December 2024 to June 2025; the synthesis flags this connection as disputed.

Background

Operation 'Carthage' was announced on 4 September 2026 by NABU and SAP, exposing a criminal organization allegedly led by an Office of the Prosecutor General official that 'roofed' a network of fraudulent call centers and laundered proceeds. On 6 September ВАКС remanded Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the OPG Department of International Cooperation, in custody until 2 November with alternative bail of 120 million hryvnias; he is suspected of involvement in 'roofing' call centers and laundering property worth over 89.9 million hryvnias, and appears in NABU recordings as 'Kantsler'. On 7 September ВАКС also remanded Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko ('Muza'), Kropyva's cohabitant, for 60 days with bail of 20 million hryvnias. Around midnight on 5 September NABU detectives conducted searches in offices used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his first deputy Mariya Vdovychenko, and other OPG staff, as well as in a house rented by Kravchenko; Ukrainska Pravda sources also reported searches at Odesa OVA head Oleh Kiper. Kropyva is 42 and previously served as deputy to Odesa OVA head Oleh Kiper on digital development from 2023 to 2024 and held leadership positions in the Cyber Police before 2022.