Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Kravchenko Submits Resignation

Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation on Monday, Sept. 7, calling the move a “political decision” days after anti-corruption investigators searched premises used by him and other senior officials at the Prosecutor General’s Office. “This is a political decision. And I made it consciously,” Kravchenko said in a statement on Telegram, adding that he did not want the prosecutor general’s post to become an instrument of political confrontation.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Kravchenko said his position regarding the allegations against him had not changed. He thanked prosecutors working on criminal cases, assisting victims, documenting Russian war crimes and defending Ukraine’s interests, as well as President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Verkhovna Rada, and asked them to accept his resignation. The announcement marked an abrupt turn from comments Kravchenko made only hours earlier. Speaking to journalists on Monday, he said he did not intend to resign voluntarily, although he would leave if Zelensky initiated his dismissal or parliament approved such a move. “I am not clinging to the position,” he said at the time. Ukrainska Pravda later reported, citing political sources, that Zelensky met with Kravchenko and Davyd Arakhamiia, head of the ruling Servant of the People parliamentary faction, on Sept. 7 to discuss whether Kravchenko would remain in office. Other Topics of Interest Witkoff Confirms Progress Toward New Trilateral Talks While Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says it’s too early to name a venue or date, Zelensky is reviewing next steps with his negotiating team. Sources told the outlet that a decision on his future was expected following the meeting. Kravchenko announced his resignation later that evening. The resignation comes amid the fallout from a major investigation by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) into an alleged criminal organization operating within the Prosecutor General’s Office. As Kyiv Post previously reported, investigators launched an operation targeting a group allegedly involved in protecting fraudulent call centers and laundering illicit proceeds. On Sept. 5, the Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed that NABU detectives had searched official premises used by Kravchenko, First Deputy Prosecutor General Mariia Vdovychenko and other staff. The confirmation followed initial denials that Kravchenko’s home or office had been searched. Kravchenko said Monday that security personnel initially prevented NABU detectives from entering because investigators had not shown which offices they intended to search. He said he later spoke with the heads of NABU and SAPO and ordered that investigators be given access to his office, other rooms and safes. NABU and SAPO say their Operation Carthage investigation uncovered a criminal organization allegedly headed by an official at the Prosecutor General’s Office. Investigators accuse members of taking bribes in exchange for shielding fraudulent call centers and laundering proceeds from the scheme. Ukrainska Pravda identified the suspected official as Serhii Kropyva, deputy head of the Prosecutor General’s Office’s International Legal Cooperation Department. Kropyva was detained and on Sept. 6 remanded in custody with bail set at Hr. 120 million, about $2.7 million. Kravchenko has denied involvement in protecting illegal call centers. His submission does not immediately end his tenure. Under Ukraine’s Constitution, the prosecutor general is appointed and dismissed by the president with the consent of the Verkhovna Rada. Ukrainian law states that the prosecutor general’s powers end when the relevant parliamentary resolution takes effect. Kravchenko has served as prosecutor general since June 21, 2025, after parliament approved his appointment and Zelensky formally appointed him by presidential decree. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.