Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has resigned amid a major corruption investigation involving allegations that officials in his office accepted bribes to protect fraudulent call centres, deepening political pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Kravchenko submitted his resignation after meeting Zelenskyy, who also held discussions with the heads of Ukraine’s two leading anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
The resignation follows a dramatic raid on Kravchenko’s office on Friday, when NABU investigators used ladders to scale a metal gate after staff reportedly refused to allow them inside. Kravchenko was not at the office when investigators arrived and later could not be found at his home, which was searched that evening. He has denied wrongdoing.
Zelenskyy described his conversation with Kravchenko as “fairly long” but did not disclose details of their discussion. “I’m sure you understand what we discussed,” Zelenskyy said. The President said that Kravchenko’s resignation would be submitted to Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, for consideration.
The investigation centres on allegations involving so-called call centres operating across Ukraine. The centres allegedly use fraudulent schemes in which employees pose as bank representatives, law enforcement officials or investment advisers to persuade victims to transfer money into accounts or cryptocurrency wallets controlled by the operators.
According to NABU, the alleged victims include people in Ukraine, Russia and European Union countries. Investigators allege that a senior official within the Prosecutor General’s Office provided protection to the criminal network and helped facilitate the laundering of its proceeds.
Ukrainian law enforcement sources cited by Ukrainska Pravda said individual call centres allegedly paid about $7,000 a month in protection money. The payments reportedly amounted to millions of dollars, with hundreds of centres believed to be operating across the country and employing approximately 60,000 people.
The allegations have placed additional scrutiny on Kravchenko’s office and raised questions about whether officials entrusted with enforcing the law were instead helping criminal networks operate. The chief suspect in the investigation was arrested in the western city of Lviv. Recordings released by NABU allegedly indicate that the suspect was involved in overseeing repairs at Kravchenko’s home while also collecting payments from the fraudulent call centres.
The case has emerged as Ukraine continues to fight Russia’s full-scale invasion, adding another challenge for a government that has repeatedly pledged to strengthen institutions and combat corruption. Zelenskyy’s administration has faced increasing pressure to demonstrate that anti-corruption bodies can operate independently and that officials accused of wrongdoing will be held accountable.
The latest developments also highlight tensions surrounding the country’s anti-corruption institutions, which have been investigating an increasingly broad network of alleged criminal activity involving government officials. The timing of the scandal is particularly sensitive for Kyiv as Ukraine continues to seek international financial and military support while pursuing closer integration with European institutions.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks have continued to place enormous pressure on the country. Three people were killed and 19 injured in overnight strikes on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities, with drones and missiles causing major fires and sending smoke across parts of the capital.
The attacks came after a three-day pause in strikes on Kyiv following a visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The two American representatives had travelled to Moscow and met Russian President Vladimir Putin before visiting Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said the US envoys had brought “very good, worthwhile ideas” for ending the war, although he did not provide details. He also said he hoped to meet US President Donald Trump within the next two weeks.
Transparency Advocate Calls Scandal ‘Organised Crime’
The corruption allegations have triggered strong criticism from transparency advocates, with Olena Tregub describing the revelations as a particularly disturbing example of criminal activity within state institutions. “Society is shocked and appalled by government officials who are basically behaving as mafia,” Tregub said.
She argued that the allegations went beyond conventional corruption because officials were allegedly protecting criminal enterprises that defrauded people in Ukraine and abroad.
“It’s not even corruption. It’s organised crime, protecting illegal call centres that were scamming people, not only in Ukraine but in Europe.”
Olena Tregub
Tregub also praised the technical capabilities of NABU investigators, saying their methods had enabled them to gather evidence in ways that made it difficult for suspects to conceal their activities.
She said investigators were recording people in their homes, offices and during telephone conversations, allowing them to uncover alleged wrongdoing that participants believed was being conducted discreetly. “They are outsmarting other law enforcement bodies fighting against them, and are able to tape people who think everything is discreet,” she said.
Tregub said the high-profile investigations and raids were contributing to a broader change in public attitudes towards corruption and the accumulation of illicit wealth. She argued that the investigations were “changing the culture in Ukraine” by making society increasingly unwilling to tolerate officials benefiting from unexplained or illegally obtained wealth.
The Prosecutor General’s resignation now places further attention on Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen accountability within its institutions. As the investigation continues, authorities will face pressure to establish the full extent of the alleged network and determine whether other officials were involved.
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