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Fesenko outlines Office of the President's response to NABU "Carthage" operation, including Kravchenko's dismissal

Ukrainian political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko has described what he characterizes as the Office of the President's (Bankova's) anti-crisis response to the NABU "Carthage" special operation. In interviews and analysis, he outlines distancing from former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, facilitating his departure abroad, and searching for a replacement, alongside a continued information campaign against anti-corruption leadership.

Key points

  • On September 14, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko signed a suspicion against NABU director Semen Kryvonos and a person close to the head of SAP, then left Ukraine the same day, reportedly to attend a PACE session.
  • On September 15, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Kravchenko from the post of Prosecutor General.
  • On September 14, the Cabinet of Ministers terminated the powers of Lesia Karnaukh, Kravchenko's former deputy, as acting head of the State Tax Service.
  • On September 15, NABU and SAP conducted a search at Karnaukh; both agencies declined to comment.
  • NABU director Semen Kryvonos said at a September 14 briefing that "from the published materials it is clear: the Security Service of Ukraine also participated in these actions."
  • Fesenko says the suspicion Kryvonos received was cancelled to prevent an institutional conflict between the Prosecutor General's Office and NABU and to avert a political crisis.
  • President Volodymyr Zelensky is searching for a new Prosecutor General, whom Fesenko describes as a "new Kravchenko" — initially in acting capacity.

Why it matters

The story describes a high-level institutional confrontation in Ukraine between the Office of the President and the country's anti-corruption bodies (NABU and SAPO). Fesenko's account outlines specific political tactics attributed to the Office of the President — managed personnel changes, facilitating a former official's departure abroad, and an ongoing information campaign against anti-corruption leadership. The episode bears directly on the independence and public trust of Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions during the war.

What happened

According to political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko, the Office of the President (Bankova) has pursued a multi-part anti-crisis response to the NABU "Carthage" special operation. The package includes distancing from former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, including through his dismissal; facilitating Kravchenko's departure abroad as a safety guarantee for both Kravchenko and the authorities; indirectly supporting Kravchenko's information-political campaign against NABU and SAP leadership; cancelling a suspicion that Kravchenko had signed against NABU director Semen Kryvonos to prevent an institutional conflict and a political crisis; and finding a "new Kravchenko" as a new, controlled acting head of the Prosecutor General's Office. Fesenko also says the information campaign to discredit NABU and SAP leadership will continue through proxies — Kravchenko abroad, anonymous Telegram channels, and certain media — creating an effect of mutual accusations and total distrust. Kravchenko had signed suspicions against Kryvonos and a person close to the head of SAP on September 14, then left Ukraine the same day, reportedly to participate in a PACE session. The Verkhovna Rada dismissed him on September 15. On the same day Kravchenko left, the Cabinet of Ministers terminated the powers of Lesia Karnaukh — Kravchenko's former deputy — as acting head of the State Tax Service; NABU and SAP conducted a search at Karnaukh on September 15 and declined to comment. Kryvonos said at a September 14 briefing that "from the published materials it is clear: the Security Service of Ukraine also participated in these actions."

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All three Ukrainian-language articles center the perspective of Ukrainian political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko and focus on the internal institutional conflict between the Office of the President and anti-corruption bodies. Coverage emphasizes domestic political maneuvering — personnel decisions, information campaigns, and the search for a new Prosecutor General — and one article highlights NABU's search at Lesia Karnaukh's residence, underscoring law-enforcement action directed at figures associated with the former Prosecutor General.

Where reporting differs

Fesenko's assessment of how Kravchenko's departure abroad was arranged evolved: he initially believed Kravchenko could have travelled independently on an official business trip not coordinated with top leadership, but later cited growing information suggesting the trip was coordinated with top political leadership.

Background

NABU is the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine; SAPO refers to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. Fesenko is a political scientist and director of the Penta Center for Political Research. Kravchenko's predecessor as Prosecutor General, Andriy Kostin, frequently travelled on foreign business trips, which Fesenko cites as one reason for his dismissal.