Ukraine War · updated 2h ago · 2 min read
Ukraine Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko Resigns After Call Center Corruption Probe
Kravchenko resigns as Ukraine's prosecutor general amid probe into illegal call centers and protection racket. Investigations identified money-laundering scheme led by an official in Kravchenko's office.
10 outlets, one story, no spin found.
9 of 10 outlets skipped it: kravchenko ordered polygraph tests and audits.
10outlets compared
Kravchenko resigns
Ukraine’s prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation on Monday, citing political reasons, after anti-corruption agencies searched the Prosecutor General’s Office and alleged a criminal organization tied to fraudulent call centres.
“This is a political decision, and I have made it consciously”
Kravchenko said in a Telegram statement, "This is a political decision, and I have made it consciously," and he added that he did not want the position used as "an instrument of political confrontation."
The BBC reported that the resignation followed a search of his offices over the weekend by Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators, who said they had identified a money-laundering scheme led by an official in Kravchenko’s office.
Reuters said the NABU and SAPO uncovered a criminal organisation dealing with fraudulent call centres that was allegedly arranged by an official within the Prosecutor General’s Office, and Kravchenko denied he was involved in the alleged scheme.
Denials and NABU/SAPO
Kravchenko denied any involvement in protecting fraudulent call centres and said his position regarding the accusations remained unchanged, while the NABU and SAPO said the network received money to protect call centres that carried out phone scams and "laundered millions in assets."
The BBC quoted Kravchenko’s resignation letter language that he did not want his position to be used as a "tool for political confrontation," and it said he referenced an earlier post rejecting the claims as "unsubstantiated."
Meduza reported that Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau searched the Prosecutor General’s Office and that Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the office’s International Cooperation Department, was accused of running a network that "provided cover for" fraudulent call centres.
Meduza also said Kravchenko had previously told reporters, "I don’t feel I should do that," when asked about resigning over Kropyva’s detention, describing a process where the Verkhovna Rada can vote and the president can initiate resignation.
What’s at stake
The resignation unfolded against a broader pattern of leadership turnover in Ukraine’s ruling elite, with Reuters noting that in July Zelenskiy endorsed Sergii Koretskyi as Ukraine’s new prime minister after Yulia Svyrydenko’s resignation and replaced Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov months after he was appointed.
“ambassadors from the G7 group of nations warning it could endanger Ukraine's integration into the European Union”
Reuters also tied the political shake-ups to Ukraine’s ongoing battle with Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, and it described how Fedorov clashed with senior generals over strategy and procurement.
The BBC said Ukraine’s European partners expressed alarm at the announcement, with ambassadors from the G7 warning it could endanger Ukraine’s integration into the European Union, and it added that Ukraine is an EU candidate country granted status on condition it mounted a credible fight against corruption.
In the same BBC account, the Ukrainian president was described as yet to comment publicly on the resignation, while the BBC said Zelensky reinstated the freedom of Nabu and Sap after backlash and that questions persisted over his commitment to anti-corruption reform.