Zelensky Names Anton Kovalsky Acting Prosecutor General

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Anton Kovalsky acting prosecutor general on Thursday, Sept. 17, following Ruslan Kravchenko’s dismissal amid a major corruption scandal and an escalating conflict with Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies. According to presidential decree No. 946/2026, Zelensky ordered that Kovalsky assume temporary leadership of the Prosecutor General’s Office.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Appoint Anton Anatoliyovych Kovalsky acting Prosecutor General,” the decree reads. The appointment came two days after 317 lawmakers voted to authorize Kravchenko’s dismissal and Zelensky formally removed him from office. Kovalsky, 42, previously headed the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor’s Office. He now assumes control of one of Ukraine’s most powerful law enforcement bodies after more than a week of raids, allegations and public accusations between the country’s chief prosecutor and its independent anti-corruption institutions. Who is Anton Kovalsky? Kovalsky was born in Vinnytsia on May 12, 1984, according to his official biography published by the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor’s Office. He graduated from the National Academy of the Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine with a law degree in 2011 and began working in the prosecution service that year. Kovalsky subsequently held several positions in the Vinnytsia regional prosecutor’s office. From September 2020 until October 2021, he served as deputy head of the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor’s Office. Other Topics of Interest Ukrainian Parliament Passes Key First-Reading Reforms for Parcel Tax and Small Business Bankruptcy Ukraine’s parliament passed first-reading legislation introducing a 20% VAT on international parcels under €150 ($170) and simplified bankruptcy rules for small businesses, advancing critical prerequisites for international aid. In November 2021, Kovalsky was appointed head of the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor’s Office, which he led until the middle of 2025. He became head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor’s Office on July 1, 2025. His appointment as acting prosecutor general followed media reports that he and Dnipropetrovsk regional prosecutor Valerii Prykhozhanov were the principal candidates to replace Kravchenko. Call center investigation reaches prosecutor’s office The crisis began on Sept. 4, when the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced Operation Carthage. The agencies said they had uncovered an alleged criminal organization operating within the Prosecutor General’s Office that protected fraudulent call centers targeting Ukrainians and foreign nationals. Investigators alleged that a senior official in the prosecutor’s office helped the centers avoid prosecution, launder their earnings and continue operating in exchange for bribes. Some call centers allegedly paid approximately $7,000 per month for protection. Hundreds of such operations were believed to employ tens of thousands of people across Ukraine, according to media reports cited by investigators. NABU officers raided the Prosecutor General’s Office and detained a senior official suspected of involvement in the scheme. Investigators also released images showing bundles of cash reportedly seized during the operation. Kravchenko denied involvement and said he had never instructed anyone to protect illegal call centers or used his authority as prosecutor general to facilitate their work. He said the employee implicated in the investigation had been suspended and announced an internal review of the relevant department. Kravchenko himself was not charged with a crime or officially named as a suspect. Kravchenko resigns but remains in office On Sept. 7, Zelensky held separate meetings with Kravchenko and the heads of NABU and SAPO. Kravchenko subsequently submitted his resignation, describing it as a “conscious political decision” and saying he did not want the Prosecutor General’s Office to become an instrument of political confrontation. However, he legally remained prosecutor general until parliament authorized his dismissal and the president signed the corresponding decree. Three other senior prosecutors were dismissed on Sept. 8 as the investigation continued. The confrontation intensified on Monday, Sept. 14, when Kravchenko announced that he had signed a notice of suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos. Kravchenko accused Kryvonos of forging official documents and arranging a fictitious adoption in 2009, allegedly to receive an improper benefit and avoid legal responsibility. He also claimed to have approved a separate notice against an unnamed person close to SAPO chief Oleksandr Klymenko. Kravchenko alleged that Operation Carthage was intended to give anti-corruption investigators access to cases concerning their own officials and remove him from office. NABU and SAPO rejected his allegations, describing them as another stage in a “systematic attack on independent anti-corruption bodies.” They said Kryvonos had not been formally served with a notice of suspicion. The Prosecutor General’s Office later confirmed that no individual, including the head of an anti-corruption agency, had been formally notified of suspicion under the procedure required by Ukrainian law. Foreign trip fuels political scandal Hours after announcing his accusations against NABU and SAPO, Kravchenko left Ukraine in an official vehicle, according to media and Kyiv Post reports. He said he was traveling abroad on official business for meetings with international partners and planned to raise concerns about the influence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions. His departure prompted public criticism because parliament had yet to consider his resignation and he remained the country’s serving prosecutor general. Kyiv Post reported that Kravchenko crossed the Ukrainian-Polish border early on Sept. 14. Because he was still in office and traveled with the necessary authorization, border authorities had no legal basis to prevent him from leaving. Anti-corruption activists alleged that his departure and accusations against NABU were connected, though no publicly verified evidence has established such an arrangement. Zelensky and parliament remove Kravchenko Later on Sept. 14, Zelensky suspended Kravchenko under Ukraine’s martial law legislation and submitted a formal request for parliament to approve his dismissal. “This prosecutor general has only one path: to leave his post. That is exactly what I told him,” Zelensky said, urging lawmakers to act without delay. On Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Verkhovna Rada supported Kravchenko’s removal with 317 votes. Zelensky then signed decree No. 932/2026 formally dismissing him. Kovalsky’s appointment two days later places him at the head of an institution facing scrutiny over its relationship with NABU and SAPO, the handling of politically sensitive investigations and the alleged protection of fraudulent call centers. Ukraine’s treatment of its independent anti-corruption bodies is closely watched by the European Union and international donors, as progress in fighting high-level corruption remains central to Kyiv’s EU membership bid and continued financial Yuliia Zavadska is a news writer at Kyiv Post. She has experience in breaking news coverage, fact-checking, and digital journalism, with a focus on fast, accurate reporting and clear storytelling. Before joining Kyiv Post, she worked as a news feed editor for several leading Ukrainian media outlets.