Ukraine prosecutor general Kravchenko resigns after corruption raid on office

Resignation announcement

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation on Monday, 7 September 2026, following corruption allegations and searches carried out at his department. Kravchenko announced his departure in a statement on Telegram, stating that he acted consciously to protect the institution.

This is a political decision, and I have made it consciously. I do not want the position of Prosecutor General to be used as an instrument of political confrontation.

Kravchenko addressed his resignation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Verkhovna Rada, asking them to accept the request. While submitting his resignation, he maintained that his stance regarding the accusations remained unchanged, following earlier statements in which he called the claims completely unsubstantiated.

Investigation into call centre protection

The departure followed actions by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), which announced on Saturday, 5 September 2026, that they had uncovered an illicit money-laundering network inside the prosecutor's office. Anti-corruption investigators raided the agency's offices after uncovering evidence that a department official coordinated a protection scheme for fraudulent call centres operating across Ukraine. According to investigators, the network received systematic bribes to shield call centres from law enforcement, laundering the proceeds through purchases of real estate, jewellery, and luxury items.

NABU published photographs of a seized safe filled with stacks of US dollar bills and stated that it had identified five members of the scheme. Investigators reported that the network was established in mid-2025 by a division head within the prosecutor's office, involving active prosecutors and associates who extorted call centres that targeted both Ukrainian and foreign citizens. One of Kravchenko's deputies was remanded in custody on suspicion of money laundering. Before resigning, Kravchenko suspended an implicated official, ordered termination proceedings, and initiated internal polygraph testing across relevant divisions.

Scale of illicit call centres

According to the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), illegal call centres have expanded during the war and employ nearly 60,000 people in Ukraine, equivalent to two-thirds of the country's banking sector workforce. GI-TOC estimates indicate that these operations can generate up to 1 billion dollars (860 million euros) in revenue per month through phone scams.

Reshuffles and strikes on Kyiv

The resignation adds to personnel changes across Ukraine's government in recent months. In July 2026, Zelensky endorsed Naftogaz chief Sergii Koretskyi as prime minister following the resignation of Yulia Svyrydenko. That same month, Zelensky replaced Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after six months in office following disputes with military commanders over procurement and strategy. In August 2026, Zelensky dismissed Iryna Mudra, a deputy head in the presidential office, over a money-laundering case, while former chief of staff Andrii Yermak resigned in November 2025.

The political developments coincided with renewed military pressure on the capital. Late on Monday, Russian forces resumed air attacks against Kyiv following a three-day pause during diplomatic visits by United States envoys. According to the Kyiv city military administration, strikes on Monday night killed two people and wounded seven, causing damage to residential buildings in the Solomianskyi district and vehicles in the Podilskyi district, alongside drone attacks in the Boryspil and Fastiv districts.