EditUkraine’s top prosecutor quits as corruption probe piles up pressure on Zelenskyy
Investigators alleged that senior officials in his office had systematically taken bribes in exchange for providing institutional protection to a network of illegal call centres
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko resigned on Monday, saying his decision was political and that he did not want his office to become a tool in political confrontation.
The resignation comes as a corruption investigation by Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies threatens to deepen tensions at the top of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration and raises fresh questions over the independence of the country’s prosecutorial system.
“This is a political decision, and I made it consciously. I do not want the position of prosecutor general to be used as a tool for political confrontation,” Kravchenko said in a statement posted on Telegram, without elaborating.
He thanked Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, and called on them to accept his resignation.
The move came days after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced that they had uncovered an alleged criminal organisation linked to fraudulent call centres and financial schemes.
According to the anti-corruption authorities, the network was organised by an employee of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Kravchenko denied any involvement in the alleged scheme.
“My position regarding the allegations remains unchanged,” he said.
Operation Carthage
The investigation has become the latest flashpoint in Ukraine’s long-running struggle over corruption and the independence of its anti-graft institutions.
On 4 September, NABU and SAPO disclosed details of what they called Operation Carthage. Investigators alleged that senior officials in the Prosecutor General’s Office had systematically taken bribes in exchange for providing institutional protection to a network of illegal call centres involved in financial fraud and money laundering.
Investigators searched the offices of Kravchenko and his first deputy, Maria Vdovychenko.
A key suspect identified in the case is Serhii Kropyva, deputy head of the International Legal Cooperation Department. He was arrested with bail set at 120 million hryvnias, around $2.7 million.
Recordings released during the proceedings allegedly showed close links between Kropyva and the prosecutor general. Reports also said Kropyva had coordinated the construction of an undeclared luxury property belonging to Kravchenko in the affluent Kozyn area outside Kyiv.
Kravchenko had told journalists just hours before his resignation that he had no intention of leaving office. His position nevertheless appeared to become untenable following an emergency meeting at the presidential office with Zelenskyy and David Arakhamia, leader of the ruling parliamentary faction. He subsequently submitted his resignation to parliament.
Ukrainska Pravda reported that, before stepping down, Kravchenko had been preparing compromising material on NABU and SAPO, apparently as part of a counterattack against the anti-corruption bodies.
The developments have put Ukraine’s anti-corruption architecture under renewed political pressure.
Déjà vu for Zelenskyy
Kravchenko’s departure also echoes the resignation of his predecessor, Andriy Kostin, in October 2024.
Kostin left office after a major scandal surrounding Tetiana Krupa, the head of a regional medical commission in Khmelnytskyi, whose home was searched and where investigators reportedly found millions of dollars in cash.
The ensuing investigation found that dozens of senior state officials, including almost 50 prosecutors in the region, had obtained fraudulent disability certificates.
The certificates allowed officials to avoid military service while also receiving substantial state disability pensions during the war.
Kostin’s departure was presented as part of an effort to restore public confidence in Ukraine’s justice system. Kravchenko’s resignation now risks reviving the same questions over whether the country’s top prosecutorial institutions are capable of policing corruption within the state itself.
The timing is particularly sensitive for Zelenskyy, whose government has faced repeated pressure to demonstrate that Ukraine’s anti-corruption drive remains credible as Kyiv seeks continued Western political and financial support.
The latest crisis follows a broader reshuffle at the top of the Ukrainian government. In July, Zelenskyy backed Naftogaz chief Serhii Koretskyi as prime minister following the resignation of Yuliia Svyrydenko.
Svyrydenko’s year in office coincided with a corruption scandal involving senior officials. Although she was not accused herself, critics argued that she had failed to do enough to clean up the government apparatus.
Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov allegedly appears in audio recordings made by investigators as part of a major corruption case involving Zelenskyy’s former Deputy Chief of Staff Iryna Mudra
NABU probe targets Zelenskyy’s office and state bank in new corruption scandal
Sources: EUalive’s partner Suspilne, Reuters, BBC.
Caption: Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko delivers a statement, archive photo from 2025. Video grab / Ukrinform
Updated: September 8, 2026 - 10:26
