Law enforcement investigations reveal alleged monthly payments to officials from scam call centres, leading to the resignation of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
Key facts
- •Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko resigned on 7 September following the investigation into the protection of scam call centres.
- •NABU and SAPO uncovered a criminal organisation allegedly led by Serhii Kropyva, a department head at the Prosecutor General's Office.
- •At the peak of activity in 2026, officials may have controlled up to 500 scam call centres.
- •The High Anti-Corruption Court set bail for Serhii Kropyva at UAH 120 million (US$2.7 million).
- •President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Kravchenko and faction leader Davyd Arakhamiia on 7 September.
Representatives of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office allegedly received approximately US$7,000 monthly from each scam call centre they protected. Investigations by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) into this operation, known as Operation Carthage, have resulted in the resignation of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
By the numbers
Scope of Alleged Financial Proceeds
Sources indicate that at the peak of activity in 2026, officials may have controlled up to 500 scam call centres. This scale of operation could have generated up to US$3.5 million in monthly proceeds. If 100 centres were operating under such protection, the monthly total would reach US$700,000.
Investigation and Legal Actions
NABU and SAPO conducted searches at premises used by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, his deputy Mariia Vdovychenko, and Odesa Oblast Military Administration Head Oleh Kiper. Serhii Kropyva, deputy head of the International Legal Cooperation Department, was identified by sources as the head of the criminal organisation accused of taking bribes and money laundering. Kropyva was remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 120 million (US$2.7 million). Additionally, suspect Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko was ordered to 60 days' detention with bail at UAH 20 million (US$450,000), and Kropyva's driver, Serhii Kutsyi, was remanded with bail at UAH 3 million (US$67,500).
Timeline
- 4 SeptemberNABU and SAPO conducted searches at the premises of Ruslan Kravchenko, Mariia Vdovychenko, and Oleh Kiper.
- 5 SeptemberThe Prosecutor General's Office confirmed searches; NABU and SAPO announced the discovery of a criminal organisation.
- 6 SeptemberSerhii Kropyva was remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 120 million.
- 7 SeptemberRuslan Kravchenko resigned as prosecutor general, and Yelyzaveta Ivakhnenko was ordered to 60 days' detention.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Ukrainska Pravda (English).
