Former Prosecutor General prepped retaliation against NABU and SAPO while tracking their families
NABU and SAPO chiefs were stalked, Ukrainska Pravda wrote (Photo: Ruslan Kravchenko / Telegram)
Files proving illicit surveillance of anti-corruption agency leaders and their families were seized from the deputy prosecutor general, NV sister outlet Ukrainska Pravda (UP) reported on Sept. 8.
Investigators recovered materials documenting systematic surveillance targeting the leadership, personnel, and families of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) in the searches conducted at the office of First Deputy Prosecutor General Mariya Vdovychenko.
Sources within the prosecution service stated that on the morning of Sept. 7, staff received directives to "systematize all available materials" concerning NABU and SAPO.
"Despite recent developments, the Prosecutor General intended to counterattack the anti-corruption bodies. However, the outcomes of last year's attempt to impose Russian influence on anti-graft agencies suggest that the Prosecutor General's Office prioritizes the attack itself over its legality," Ukrainska Pravda noted.
On Sept. 7, Ruslan Kravchenko submitted his resignation as Prosecutor General of Ukraine. Kravchenko characterized his departure as a deliberate "political decision."
"I do not want the post of Prosecutor General to be used as an instrument of political confrontation. My position regarding these allegations remains unchanged," Kravchenko stated.
He earlier claimed he will not step down voluntarily unless asked by his colleagues, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or the Verkhovna Rada.
Kravchenko alleged he holds no procedural status in the high-profile "Carthage" investigation, labeling the scrutiny as "an attempt at political pressure." He confirmed that law enforcement searched both his private residence and official government office.
NABU and SAPO also executed search warrants targeting Vdovychenko alongside Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper.
The Carthage Case
On Sept. 4, NABU announced a major operation dismantling a criminal organization allegedly directed by a senior official within the Prosecutor General's Office. NABU and SAPO arrested Serhii Kropyva, head of the agency's cyber department, accusing him of providing institutional protection to a transnational network of fraudulent call centers and laundering criminal proceeds. The Prosecutor General's Office later pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) remanded Kropyva into custody until Nov. 2, setting bail at 120 million UAH (roughly $2.7 million). Kropyva is suspected of running protection for the fraudulent call centers and laundering over 89 million UAH (around $2 million). His defense attorneys announced plans to appeal.
The same day, the anti-corruption court placed another defendant, Kropyva’s driver Serhii Kutsyi, in pre-trial detention until Nov. 3 with an alternative bail of 3 million UAH (roughly $67,000).
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