Zelensky Fires General Prosecutor Kravchenko: Timeline of the 'Carthage' Scandal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky approved the dismissal of General Prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko. RBC-Ukraine reports this, citing a corresponding decree by the head of state, which explicitly states: 'Dismiss Ruslan Andriyovych Kravchenko from the position of General Prosecutor.' The decision became the final act of a multi-day political-legal crisis that began with a law-enforcement investigation and escalated into an open confrontation between the head of the Office of the Prosecutor General and the president.

The 'Carthage' Case: The Investigators' Version

The starting point of the scandal was an investigation conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), which came to be known as 'Carthage.' According to the investigators' version, law-enforcement officials exposed a criminal organization that, it is alleged, was created and led by Serhiy Kropyva, head of one of the units of the Office of the General Prosecutor. Members of this group are suspected of systematically taking bribes from fraudulent call centers in exchange for not interfering with their operations. It is important to note that, at the time of Kravchenko's dismissal, these formulations remain the investigators' version, not a court verdict.

Resignation as a 'Deliberate Political Decision'

Against the backdrop of the unfolding investigation, on 7 September 2026 Kravchenko submitted his resignation. He publicly described this step as a deliberate political decision and stated that he did not want the position of General Prosecutor to be used as an instrument of political confrontation. Thus, formally the initiative to leave came from the official himself, which at first glance should have softened the acuteness of the situation.

Escalation: Video Address, the President's Reaction, and the Rada Vote

The situation sharply intensified on 14 September 2026, when Kravchenko delivered a video address and declared that he had signed a notice of suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos. On the same day, President Zelensky stated that Kravchenko had only one path — dismissal from his position — and called on the Verkhovna Rada not to delay its decision. On 15 September 2026, parliament supported the dismissal of the General Prosecutor, after which Zelensky signed the corresponding decree.

Contradictory Data

The public statements of the parties and the investigative materials contain several inconsistencies that are important to take into account. First, the accusation of creating a 'criminal organization' and taking bribes is the version of the NABU and SAP investigation, not a fact established by a court; the position of Serhiy Kropyva himself and his defense, in the open sources on which the news relies, is not provided. Second, Kravchenko's public rhetoric changed over the course of a week: on 7 September he submitted his resignation as a calm 'political decision,' while on 14 September he moved to an accusatory video address against the NABU Director. This creates a contradiction in his own positioning — from 'leaving for principle' to a direct conflict with the anti-corruption body. Both lines are set out in open statements, and the final legal assessment of these events remains with the investigators and the court.

The outcome was a rapid change of General Prosecutor: less than two weeks passed from the submission of the resignation to the signing of the presidential decree. The further development of events — in particular, who will fill the vacated post and how the 'Carthage' investigation will affect the structure of the Office of the Prosecutor General — will depend on the decisions of the Verkhovna Rada and the president.