On Monday, September 14, a new political-legal scandal erupted in Ukraine, at the center of which stood Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. In the morning, he released a video address in which he announced that he had signed a suspicion against the Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), Semen Krivonos, as well as a second suspicion against a person from the entourage of the head of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), Oleksandr Klymenko. Against the backdrop of statements by anti-corruption bodies that Kravchenko's actions are a continuation of a systematic attack on independent institutions, it became known that the Prosecutor General himself had left the country overnight on September 14. The situation was compounded by President Volodymyr Zelensky's public demand to dismiss Kravchenko and a formal motion for resignation that had already been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.
Suspicion against the NABU Director and the SAP Entourage
According to Kravchenko, Semen Krivonos has been formally charged with "forging documents to obtain undue advantage and fictitious adoption." The second suspicion, as the Prosecutor General stated, concerns a person from the entourage of SAP head Oleksandr Klymenko and is linked to "exerting influence on VAKS judges and facilitating evasion of mobilization." Kravchenko published the texts of the suspicions and claimed that they were registered in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, although, according to available data, the corresponding cases were opened in 2014 and 2025, respectively. NABU and SAP characterized these steps as a continuation of a systematic attack on independent anti-corruption bodies; the Bureau, in particular, denied the very fact of the suspicion and the seizure of case files.
Reaction from the President's Office and the Path to Resignation
Sources in Volodymyr Zelensky's entourage assured that Kravchenko's initiative was his own unilateral action and had not been coordinated with the President's Office. One of the publication's interlocutors characterized the situation as follows: "He has lost his mind. Maybe he got scared." The President himself stated on his Telegram channel that Kravchenko has only one path left — dismissal — and called on MPs to support this decision without delay. A formal motion for the Prosecutor General's resignation has already been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada. According to the head of the Servant of the People faction, Davyd Arakhamia, the document will be considered at a meeting of the relevant committee within hours, and the parliamentary vote on the resignation is scheduled for September 15.
Departure Abroad: "Business Trip" or Flight?
According to sources, Ruslan Kravchenko left Ukraine overnight on September 14 at 02:30 through a border crossing point on the border with Poland. The Prosecutor General himself confirmed his departure but called it a "foreign business trip" aimed at informing international partners about the "risks to the anti-corruption system." Already abroad, he began publishing his own "recordings" regarding Krivonos, concerning events he describes as dating back almost 20 years — in particular, about an alleged fictitious adoption of a child for amnesty in the 2009 student bribery case.
Contradictory Data
There are several inconsistencies in the events of the past 24 hours that must be honestly reflected. First, Kravchenko claims that the suspicions are registered in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, while, according to available information, the cases were opened in 2014 and 2025 — meaning their current "signing" does not align with the logic of registration. Second, the very fact of the suspicion against Krivonos and the seizure of case materials is categorically denied by NABU, while Kravchenko insists on the opposite and accuses the anti-corruption bodies of stealing materials during searches in the "Carthage" case. Third, the nature of the departure is interpreted differently: sources and the presidential narrative paint a picture of removal and pressure, while Kravchenko himself calls the trip a working "business trip." Finally, claims that the President had "politically restrained" his decision are not confirmed by the President's Office, which, on the contrary, publicly demands the Prosecutor General's dismissal.
Who Could Become the Successor
Rumors have appeared online that Kravchenko's successor could be Danylo Hettmanets, head of the Verkhovna Rada's financial committee. However, several sources have denied this information, and Hettmanets himself personally rejected such plans, writing that "for now, no." Thus, the question of who will become the next head of the Prosecutor General's Office remains open at the time of publication.
Context: Operation "Carthage"
The scandal was preceded by Kravchenko's own statement on September 7 about his resignation — against the backdrop of materials published by NABU and SAP on the special operation "Carthage," under which possible crimes involving officials of the Prosecutor General's Office are being investigated. According to the investigation, the operation exposed a criminal organization involved in "protection" (cover-up) of fraudulent call centers; the anti-corruption bodies conducted searches at the Prosecutor General's Office premises. There are already the first detainees in the case: in particular, on September 6, Serhiy Kropyva ("Chancellor"), the suspended head of the Prosecutor General's Office Department of International Cooperation, was taken into custody with the possibility of posting bail of 120 million hryvnia. Kravchenko's meeting with President Zelensky preceded his resignation statement, making the current escalation a logical continuation of the conflict over "Carthage."
