---
title: "\"Muse\" Detained: VACS Arrests Elizaveta Ivakhnenko in the \"Carthage\" Case with a 20 Million Hryvnia Bail"
description: "VACS selected detention for Elizaveta Ivakhnenko, a figure in the \"Carthage\" case, with the option of posting 20 million hryvnia in bail. The prosecution demanded 50 million, while the investigation links her to \"Chancellor\" Kropyva."
date: 2026-09-07T08:02:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/vacs-arrests-muse-ivakhnenko-in-carthage-case
tags: [carthage-case, nabu, saps, vakc, corruption-ukraine, elizabeth-ivakhnenko, serhiy-kropyv]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "Muse" Detained: VACS Arrests Elizaveta Ivakhnenko in the "Carthage" Case with a 20 Million Hryvnia Bail

![Elizaveta Ivakhnenko in the courtroom during a VAKS hearing on the Carthage case](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/07/vakc-arestoval-muzu-ivahnenko-po-delu-karfa-gen/vakc-arestoval-muzu-ivahnenko-po-delu-karfa-gen-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- VACS placed Elizaveta Ivakhnenko ("Muse") in custody with a bail alternative of 20 million hryvnia, although the prosecution had requested 50 million.
- According to the investigation, Ivakhnenko is a close associate of the defendant "Chancellor" Kropyva; real estate was registered in her name and in the names of her family members as part of the laundering of funds.
- The "Carthage" operation exposed a group of active prosecutors who were "protecting" fraudulent call centers; the main figure, Kropyva, was arrested on September 6 with a 120 million hryvnia bail.

The Higher Anti-Corruption Court (VACS) has selected a preventive measure for Elizaveta Ivakhnenko, a figure in the high-profile NABU and SAP "Carthage" case. As reported by RBC-Ukraine and Focus, citing a broadcast of the hearing, the court placed the suspect in custody with the option of posting bail in the amount of 20 million hryvnia. Meanwhile, the prosecution had requested a stricter alternative — bail of 50 million hryvnia — meaning the court effectively halved the amount proposed by the prosecutor's office.

### Who Is the "Muse" from the NABU Recordings

In the footage released as part of the "Carthage" operation, Ivakhnenko is referred to by the code name "Muse." According to the investigation, she is a close associate of the case's main figure — Serhiy Kropyva, known in the recordings as the "Chancellor." It is she, according to the prosecutor's office, who is credited with the remark about hiding assets from an Instagram account: "I've got a 'Porsche,' 'Loro Piana,' watches, bracelets, bags, fur coats. Do I need to delete all of it?" The prosecution charges the 24-year-old Ivakhnenko with laundering funds obtained by a criminal organization: according to the investigation, defendant Kropyva registered real estate in her name and in the names of members of her family.

### The "Carthage" Operation Scheme and the Scale of Laundering

On September 4, NABU and SAP announced a special operation to expose a criminal organization linked to the "protection" of a network of fraudulent call centers and the laundering of assets. According to the investigation, the group was formed in mid-2025 and included active prosecutors and their associates; the participants, it is alleged, received bribes for not obstructing the operation of the fraudulent call centers. The proceeds were laundered in several ways: by purchasing real estate, jewelry, and valuable movable property worth more than 20 million hryvnia, by placing more than 10 million hryvnia in bank accounts of close associates under the guise of income from entrepreneurial activity, and by re-registering assets — in particular, units in an apartment complex near the Carpathians, whose minimum market value, according to the investigation, exceeds 12 million hryvnia. Law enforcement officers conducted searches, including in the office premises of the Office of the Prosecutor General. The Bureau announced the exposure of five participants; the main figure is named as Serhiy Kropyva ("Chancellor"), head of the Department of International Cooperation of the Office of the Prosecutor General, who was placed in custody on September 6 with the option of posting 120 million hryvnia in bail.

### The Prosecutor General's Reaction

Ruslan Khrachenko commented on the situation with the searches at the Office of the Prosecutor General, stating that he has no connection to shielding illegal call centers, gave no instructions to facilitate such activity, and did not use his powers as Prosecutor General for that purpose. He also promised to "tighten inspections" within the agency itself in connection with this case.

### Contradictory Data

The case materials and the statements of the parties contain a number of inconsistencies that are important to take into account. First, the prosecution requested bail of 50 million hryvnia, whereas the court set the alternative at 20 million hryvnia — a difference of thirty million hryvnia that reflects the gap between the prosecution's position and the court's decision. Second, the publicly available details about the identity of the "Muse" are inconsistent: a number of media outlets (including UNIAN) state that Ivakhnenko became a deputy dean at the age of 22, whereas in the prosecutor's procedural materials she appears as a 24-year-old suspect. These discrepancies in age and professional status have not yet been commented on by the defense.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Court Selects Preventive Measure for "Muse" Elizaveta Ivakhnenko in the "Carthage" Case](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/sud-obrav-zapobizhniy-zahid-elizaveti-muzi-1788766675.html) - Подтверждает решение ВАКС: стража с альтернативой залога 20 млн гривен; ходатайство обвинения — 50 млн.
- [Elizaveta Ivakhnenko: Everything You Wanted to Know About Prosecutor Kropyva's "Muse"](https://fraza.com/stenograms/378117-elizaveta-ivahnenko-vse-chto-vy-hoteli-znat-o-quotmuzequot-prokurora-kropivy) - Даёт контекст о личности «Музы» и ее связи с «Канцлером» Кропивой; фиксирует написание фамилии Кропива.
- ["Carthage" Case: VACS Selects Preventive Measure for "Muse" Elizaveta Ivakhnenko](https://focus.ua/ukraine/766912-muza-po-delu-karfagen-elizaveta-ivahnenko-arestovana-s-zalogom-v-20-mln-grn) - Подтверждает арест с залогом 20 млн гривен по делу «Карфаген».
- [Became Deputy Dean at 22: Media Find Out Who the "Muse" from the NABU Recordings Is](https://www.unian.net/incidents/elizaveta-ivahnenko-smi-raskryli-lichnost-muzy-s-plenok-nabu-13491906.html) - Указывает на возраст 22 года и статус замдекана, что расходится с 24 годами из процессуальных материалов — вынесено в блок противоречий.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What preventive measure did the court select for Elizaveta Ivakhnenko?
**A:** VACS selected detention with the option of posting bail in the amount of 20 million hryvnia, although the prosecution had requested bail of 50 million hryvnia.

### Q: What is Elizaveta Ivakhnenko accused of?
**A:** The prosecution charges her with laundering funds obtained by a criminal organization; according to the investigation, defendant Kropyva registered real estate in her name and in the names of her family members.

### Q: Who is the "Chancellor" in the "Carthage" case?
**A:** The "Chancellor" is the code name of Serhiy Kropyva, head of the Department of International Cooperation of the Office of the Prosecutor General, who was placed in custody on September 6 with the option of posting 120 million hryvnia in bail.