Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Ruslan Kravchenko, resigned late on Monday following a high-profile corruption investigation by independent anti-corruption watchdogs that reached his office. The investigation into a sprawling fraud ring involving illegal call centres prompted the 36-year-old presidential appointee to quit, describing his exit as a political decision, and I have made it consciously
to avoid political confrontation, according to Reuters. Kravchenko denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations against him completely unsubstantiated
.
Ukraine Prosecutor General Resigns Following Anti-Corruption Raids
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Kravchenko, as well as the heads of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), following the investigation. Zelenskyy stated that he would submit Kravchenko’s resignation request to Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, where lawmakers must approve the departure.
Details of the Call Centre Protection Scheme and Arrests
The inquiry, announced by NABU and SAPO, centres on allegations that officials inside the prosecutor general’s office protected a vast criminal network of fraudulent call centres. Employees at these centres posed as banks, law enforcement agencies, or investment advisers, persuading victims in Ukraine, Russia, and European Union countries to transfer funds to accounts or crypto wallets under their control.
According to law enforcement sources cited by Pravda, approximately US$7,000 could have been passed to representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office every month from each scam call centre. At its peak in 2026, representatives may have controlled up to 500 scam call centres, potentially generating millions of dollars in monthly protection money. Investigators stated that officials recruited friends and fellow employees to launder nearly $1 million in proceeds through real estate purchases and other assets.
NABU investigators used ladders to scale a metal gate during a raid on Kravchenko’s office after staff initially refused to let them in. Anti-corruption agencies subsequently released photographs of a safe filled with bundles of dollar bills and luxury assets, including a confiscated luxury SUV.
Several individuals have been detained and placed in custody by the High Anti-Corruption Court:
- Serhii Kropyva: Deputy head of the International Legal Cooperation Department at the Prosecutor General’s Office, identified by sources as the head of the criminal organisation, remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 120 million (US$2.7 million).
- Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko: A 24-year-old suspect ordered to 60 days’ detention with bail set at UAH 20 million (US$450,000).
- Serhii Kutsyi: Driver for Serhii Kropyva, remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 3 million (US$67,500).
Broader Political Fallout and Calls for Reform
The scandal represents the latest in a series of corruption cases that have impacted senior officials in Zelenskyy’s government during wartime. Transparency advocates and civil society figures noted that the public reaction has been intense. Olena Tregub, a transparency advocate, told The Guardian that society is shocked by the behavior of officials protecting illegal operations scamming people across Europe.
Opposition lawmakers have used the crisis to push for institutional changes. Andrii Osadchuk, deputy chair of parliament’s law-enforcement committee, argued that the scandal highlights the urgent need to reform the prosecution service and fill key positions through open competition, noting that combating corruption remains critical to Kyiv’s ambitions for European Union membership.
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