Ukraine's Prosecutor General Kravchenko resigns amid NABU 'Carthage' corruption probe
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation on the evening of 7 September after NABU and SAPO exposed a criminal organization within the Office of the Prosecutor General accused of protecting fraudulent call centers. First Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovychenko also resigned. The president has not yet formally submitted the dismissal to the Verkhovna Rada.
Key points
- Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation on the evening of 7 September, after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- First Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovychenko also submitted her resignation; her dismissal order was signed and 8 September was her last working day.
- NABU and SAPO announced on 4 September that they had exposed a criminal organization led by Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the OGP's Department of International Legal Cooperation, allegedly 'roofing' fraudulent call centers and laundering proceeds.
- On 6 September, the High Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS) placed Kropyva in custody with an alternative bail of UAH 120 million; Kropyva's partner Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko and driver Serhiy Kutsyi were also detained with alternative bails of UAH 20 million and UAH 3 million.
- NABU and SAPO conducted searches at Kravchenko, Vdovychenko, and Odesa OVA head Oleh Kiper; materials found at Vdovychenko reportedly indicated surveillance of NABU and SAPO leadership and luxury watches allegedly received from Kropyva.
- Kravchenko was appointed Prosecutor General in June 2025 at age 36; he publicly denied any procedural status in the Carthage case and called the situation political pressure.
- As of 9 September, the president's submission on Kravchenko's dismissal had not been registered in the Verkhovna Rada; the parliamentary Law Enforcement Committee said it would consider the submission within 24 hours of receipt.
Why it matters
The resignation removes the head of Ukraine's top law-enforcement body, appointed only in June 2025, while anti-corruption investigators are actively pursuing a case that ties senior Office of the Prosecutor General officials to large fraudulent call-center schemes. NABU and SAPO conducting searches of the Prosecutor General, his deputy and a regional governor is a test of the independence Ukraine's partners have demanded from its anti-corruption institutions. With the parliamentary dismissal still not registered, the political resolution of the crisis remains pending.
What happened
On the evening of 7 September, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Servant of the People faction head Davyd Arakhamia. The resignation followed the 4 September announcement by NABU and SAPO of 'Operation Carthage,' which exposed a criminal organization allegedly led by Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the Office of the Prosecutor General's Department of International Legal Cooperation, that was accused of 'roofing' fraudulent call centers and laundering proceeds. On 6 September, the High Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS) placed Kropyva in custody with an alternative bail of UAH 120 million; the next day the same court detained his partner Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko and his driver Serhiy Kutsyi, with alternative bails of UAH 20 million and UAH 3 million. NABU and SAPO also conducted searches at Kravchenko, his deputy Maria Vdovychenko, and Odesa OVA head Oleh Kiper. According to investigators, materials found at Vdovychenko indicated surveillance of NABU director Semen Kryvonos and SAPO head Oleksandr Klymenko, their families and subordinates, and luxury Rolex watches alleged to be a birthday gift from Kropyva. Five persons were notified of suspicion under articles on creation and leadership of a criminal organization and laundering of property, punishable by up to 15 years. First Deputy Prosecutor General Vdovychenko also resigned; her dismissal order was signed and 8 September was her last working day, and her name no longer appears on the Office of the Prosecutor General website. Kravchenko initially denied any involvement in the case, suspended Kropyva, ordered an audit of the relevant departments and polygraph examinations for staff. He later called his resignation a 'political decision.' President Zelensky said the submission would be sent to the Verkhovna Rada; as of 9 September, it had not been registered, with the Law Enforcement Committee pledging to consider it within 24 hours of receipt.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets have covered the resignation primarily through the detailed mechanics of the Carthage investigation — naming Kropyva, Vdovychenko, Odesa OVA head Oleh Kiper and other officials, and emphasizing searches, alleged surveillance of anti-corruption leaders, and alleged luxury gifts. Reporting places the story in the broader institutional context, including the July 2025 attempt to curtail the independence of NABU and SAPO and a stalled parliamentary bill strengthening punishment for fraudulent call centers. Lawmakers Andriy Osadchuk (first deputy chair of the Law Enforcement Committee) and Anastasia Radina (chair of the anti-corruption policy committee) framed the resignation as a political decision tied to protecting the reputation of the prosecutor's system and to calls for a competitive selection process for the next Prosecutor General. Ukrainian media also gave prominence to Kravchenko's own statements denying involvement, his pre-resignation response measures (suspensions, audits, polygraph orders), and the Office of the Prosecutor General's complaints about NABU's nighttime searches.
How international sources describe it
The single French-language report frames the resignation as a corruption-driven political shock that weakens President Zelensky's political edifice, emphasizing the political consequences for the presidency rather than the internal institutional details of the case. International coverage highlights the role of independent anti-corruption bodies and notes the recent presidential attempt to bring NABU and SAPO under the Prosecutor General's authority, framing events as a stress test of Ukraine's anti-corruption commitments.
Where reporting differs
Ukrainian sources differ on whether Kravchenko resigned voluntarily or under presidential pressure: he described the move as a conscious 'political decision,' while other reporting, citing Liga.net sources, states that the President asked him to resign after the meeting. Sources also disagree on Kravchenko's actual proximity to the case: he publicly denied any procedural status, while NABU/SAPO materials and anti-corruption groups cite recordings, gifts and property ties linking him to the main suspect Kropyva. Reporting on the Servant of the People faction's stance also diverges — one account describes the faction and leadership as oriented toward maximally defending Kravchenko as of 7 September, while others report that the tone shifted only after his meeting with the President.
Background
In July 2025, the Ukrainian presidency attempted to place NABU and SAPO under the authority of the Prosecutor General, but withdrew the initiative after public protests and European pressure. Kravchenko was appointed Prosecutor General in June 2025 at the age of 36. The Carthage operation, announced on 4 September, exposed an alleged criminal organization within the Office of the Prosec General accused of 'roofing' fraudulent call centers and laundering proceeds, with the High Anti-Corruption Court subsequently placing the main suspect and two associates in custody. Searches were conducted at Kravchenko, his deputy and the head of the Odesa regional military administration. According to investigators, materials found in those searches indicated surveillance of anti-corruption leadership and alleged personal ties between the main suspect and Kravchenko, including paying for repairs at a house in Kozyn attributed to Kravchenko.