Ukraine's chief prosecutor Kravchenko resigns amid a call-centre corruption inquiry
Ukraine's chief prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko has resigned after a weekend search of his offices over a money-laundering scheme that anti-corruption investigators said was led by an official in his office. In a Telegram post on 7 September he called the step a political decision and said he did not want the post used as a tool for political confrontation.
Geopolitics··Evening
Kravchenko tenders his resignation after the weekend search
Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation as Ukraine's chief prosecutor after anti-corruption investigators searched his offices over the weekend. BBC News reported that the investigators said they had identified a money-laundering scheme led by an official in his office and tied to illegal call centres. In his resignation letter he said he did not want the position of prosecutor general used as a tool for political confrontation. RFE/RL reported that he wrote on Telegram on 7 September that the step was a political decision he had made consciously.[1], [2]
Investigators describe a call-centre protection network
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office said the network in Kravchenko's office received money to protect call centres that ran phone scams and laundered millions in assets. BBC News reported that those agencies said the money was spent on property and jewellery. Kravchenko had earlier rejected the claims as unsubstantiated. The scheme and the sums sit on the investigators' account; they have not been independently verified.[1]
He had said he would not leave, then called the step political
RFE/RL reported that Kravchenko had said publicly he would not leave the job, then described the resignation as a political decision and hinted that he was forced to take it. He wrote that his position regarding the accusations remained unchanged. BBC News reported that he referenced an earlier post rejecting the claims as unsubstantiated, and that nationwide protests followed an attempt in 2025 to curb the independence of the two anti-corruption bodies. Ukraine holds EU candidate status on condition that it mounts a credible fight against corruption.[2], [1]
