Full Breakdown
Escalating Clash Over Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Leadership
By Drooid · · How we work
Background & Context
In early September 2026 Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) – launched “Operation Carthage.” The operation exposed a network funneling bribes from fraudulent call-center schemes and implicated senior staff in the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO). The revelations triggered a political crisis centered on Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and the heads of NABU and SAPO.
Timeline
- September 4 – SAPO and NABU announced the discovery of the alleged criminal group.
- Early September – Kravchenko submitted his resignation after searches at the PGO and a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- September 6 – The High Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS) placed Serhii Kropyva, deputy head of the PGO’s International Cooperation Department, in pre-trial detention with bail set at 120 million hryvnias.
- September 14 – Kravchenko posted a video accusing NABU Director Semen Kryvonos of forging documents and named a close associate of SAPO chief Oleksandr Klymenko. The same day he left Ukraine in an official vehicle, describing the trip as a foreign business mission.
Core Developments
Kravchenko said he signed a notice of suspicion against Kryvonos for large-scale forgery and alleged a second suspicion against an unnamed person linked to Klymenko for influencing judges and facilitating draft evasion. He described the overnight raid on the PGO as “Operation Carthage,” aimed at seizing case materials and removing him from office.
Official Statements & Responses
- NABU countered that no formal notice of suspicion had been served on Kryvonos and called Kravchenko’s accusations a “systematic attack” on agency independence.
- SAPO rejected claims that its investigators had taken protected case materials.
- The Anti-Corruption Action Center (ANTAC) reported Kravchenko’s departure but did not confirm the reasons.
Criticism & Opposition
ANTAC suggested Kravchenko’s exit may have been permitted by the president in exchange for the accusations against Kryvonos, characterizing the move as retaliation intended to divert attention from Operation Carthage. The group noted the lack of publicly established evidence for such an arrangement.
Data & Statistics
- VAKS set bail for Serhii Kropyva at 120 million hryvnias.
- Operation Carthage investigators allege the criminal group received systematic bribes from “fraudulent call centers” that defrauded Ukrainian and foreign citizens on a massive scale.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Notice of suspicion: Kravchenko claims to have signed one against Kryvonos; NABU says none has been served.
- Departure authorization: Zelensky’s office has not confirmed whether Kravchenko’s travel was approved, despite ANTAC’s allegation of a quid-pro-quo.
- Charges approval: Kravchenko announced he approved charges against Kryvonos, yet NABU maintains the charges remain “public rather than procedural” and have not been formally filed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Based on the evidence collected, I signed a notice of suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos. I suspect him of forging official documents to obtain an unlawful benefit on an especially large scale,” — Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko
- “If he considers this political pressure, let him call it that. I ask lawmakers to support this dismissal without delay.” — The NABU
What’s Next
Parliament is slated to vote in mid-September on a motion to dismiss Kravchenko as Prosecutor General. The outcome will determine whether the PGO leadership changes amid the ongoing anti-corruption investigations.