Zelenskyy suspends Ukraine prosecutor general Kravchenko

Ukraine suspends Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko after he left the country amid a corruption probe, widening a confrontation between Kyiv’s top prosecutorial office and the agencies tasked with investigating it. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on Monday suspending Kravchenko and asked parliament to dismiss him, according to Euronews. Ukrainian media, citing law-enforcement sources, reported that Kravchenko crossed the border overnight after submitting his resignation earlier this month.

The case sits on top of an older problem in wartime governance: the institutions that must police corruption are embedded in the same state machinery that controls appointments, budgets and access to evidence. Investigators from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) say they uncovered an alleged criminal organisation involving officials in the Prosecutor General’s Office, with bribes allegedly paid by fraudulent call centres in exchange for “non-interference” and with criminal proceeds laundered on a large scale, Euronews reports. As part of the probe, investigators searched Kravchenko’s office, while NABU released recordings that refer to a “boss” whose patronymic and former role as head of Ukraine’s State Tax Service correspond to Kravchenko.

Kravchenko has not been charged and has not been named as a suspect, and he denies involvement. But his response has turned the investigation into an institutional brawl. In a video statement, Kravchenko said he had signed a notice of suspicion against NABU director Semen Kryvonos, alleging forged documents used to obtain an unlawful benefit. Kryvonos denied the allegation and said he had neither seen nor been formally served with any notice. NABU and SAPO described Kravchenko’s move as part of a “systematic attack” on Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption bodies.

Zelenskyy, who has to keep foreign support flowing while running a state under military strain, framed the next step as procedural rather than political: suspension now, dismissal vote next. Euronews reports that the relevant parliamentary committee backed the president’s request and lawmakers were expected to vote on dismissal on Tuesday.

The dispute leaves a concrete paper trail: a resignation dated 7 September, a suspension decree dated Monday, and competing claims about who can credibly accuse whom of falsifying documents. While investigators sift recordings and border-crossing reports, Ukraine’s top prosecutor is no longer at his desk.