Zelensky Suspends Kravchenko as Prosecutor General: The Decree, the 'Carthage' Case, and His Flight Abroad

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree suspending Ruslan Kravchenko from the post of Prosecutor General. According to Ukrainian media citing the text of the document, the decree explicitly states: "Suspend Ruslan Andriyovych Kravchenko from the office of Prosecutor General." The decision was taken against the backdrop of the high-profile NABU and SAP investigation known as "Carthage," as well as the fact that on September 14 Kravchenko signed a formal suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and, according to available reports, left the country.

The Decree and Its Legal Basis

In the text of the decree, the head of state justified his decision by citing Part 2 of Article 11 of the Law of Ukraine "On Martial Law." It is precisely this legal provision that grants the president the authority to suspend from office individuals whose appointment and dismissal fall within his competence or are coordinated with him. Thus, the suspension was carried out not through the standard procedure of coordination with the Verkhovna Rada, but through the special legal regime of martial law, which significantly accelerates the process and removes the need for a parliamentary vote.

The 'Carthage' Case and Its Link to Kravchenko

The backdrop for the personnel decision was the high-profile investigation by NABU and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, known as "Carthage." According to the investigation, a senior official of the Office of the Prosecutor General may have provided a "cover" for fraudulent call centers that scammed citizens out of their money. The main figure in the case was Serhiy Kropyva, Deputy Head of the Department of International Legal Cooperation of the OGP. The Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko himself also appeared in the published footage: according to the investigation, Kropyva arranged the flight of Kravchenko's partner to Spain shortly before the Prosecutor General himself was due to fly there on an official trip.

Resignation, the Suspicion Against Kryvonos, and Flight Abroad

The chronology of events over the past days appears contradictory. On September 7 it became known that Kravchenko had submitted his resignation, however, for a full dismissal this decision was insufficient — the support of the Verkhovna Rada was required. On September 14, the day the suspension decree was signed, Kravchenko unexpectedly signed a formal suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos. According to available reports, he left Ukrainian territory on the same day. The combination of these steps — the resignation, the suspicion against the head of the anti-corruption body, and the departure abroad — increases pressure on Kravchenko's figure and raises additional questions about his further legal liability.

Contradictory Data

There is a notable procedural inconsistency in the public picture of events. On the one hand, on September 7 Kravchenko submitted his resignation, and under the standard procedure his dismissal was to be confirmed by the Verkhovna Rada. On the other hand, on September 14 the president did not wait for the parliament's decision but used the special authority provided by the martial law law and suspended him directly by decree. Thus, in effect, two scenarios existed in parallel — "resignation with coordination in the Rada" and "suspension by presidential decree" — and the latter was the one implemented. Moreover, the very fact of Kravchenko signing a suspicion against NABU Director Kryvonos on the day of his own suspension, followed by his departure abroad, raises questions as to whether this is a step within the powers of the Prosecutor General or an attempt to influence the investigation, which the parties have not yet clearly commented on.

What Comes Next

Suspension from office is not equivalent to final dismissal and does not relieve the individual of criminal or disciplinary liability. The key questions remain: how the final termination of Kravchenko's powers will be formalized, whether the "Carthage" investigation will be extended to other figures, and how the prosecution and NABU will respond to the suspicion signed against Kryvonos, given that Kravchenko himself, according to media reports, is abroad. These circumstances determine the further dynamics both within the anti-corruption system and in the public sphere.