Zelensky fires Ukraine’s prosecutor-general over corruption accusations
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Ruslan Kravchenko has been accused of taking bribes, allegations he denies.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Ukrainian President Zelensky fired Prosecutor-General Ruslan Kravchenko over bribery accusations linked to protecting fraudulent call centres laundering money.
- Kravchenko denied charges, left Ukraine, and accused the anti-corruption bureau of falsifying documents and risking state sovereignty.
- Corruption is a major issue in Ukraine, worsened by war, with scam call centres generating up to US$1 billion monthly, prompting strong government and public reactions.
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KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept 15 fired the country’s prosecutor-general who has been accused of taking bribes.
Zelensky announced the sacking of Ruslan Kravchenko in a government decree.
Kravchenko has denied the allegations. He announced on messaging platform Telegram that he is currently outside Ukraine and had started legal action against the head of the national anti-corruption bureau, NABU, accusing him of “falsifying official documents”.
NABU investigators raided the prosecutor-general’s offices in September and said they had uncovered a network that made payments in return for protecting fraudulent call centres that had “laundered fortunes”.
They said the money was used to buy property, jewellery and other valuables.
According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), scam call centres in Ukraine employ 60,000 people and can generate up to US$1 billion (S$1.27 billion) in revenue each month.
Zelensky said in a post on Telegram that “there is only one option for the prosecutor-general: dismissal” and he called on lawmakers to approve the decision “without delay”.
Kravchenko said in his Telegram statement that he would “inform our international partners of the true situation within the anti-corruption authorities, the signs of an uncontrolled concentration of influence on their part, and the risks this practice poses to state sovereignty”.
Corruption is a longstanding problem in Ukraine and there have been several major scandals since Russia invaded in 2022, including within the army.
Zelensky tried in 2025 to put the independent anti-corruption bureau under the control of the prosecutor-general but was forced into a U-turn by public protests and concerns raised by allied countries. AFP