Ukrainian Domestic — 2026-09-17

Verkhovna Rada Dismisses Prosecutor General Kravchenko Who Fled Country Amid Corruption Investigation

BLUFKravchenko's flight to France before charges were served makes it unlikely NABU or SAPO will formally charge him by mid-November 2026, leaving Ukraine's top anti-corruption case without a reachable defendant.

The Verkhovna Rada voted 317-in-favor on September 15 to dismiss Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, well above the 226 needed 12. President Zelenskyy signed the formal dismissal decree the following day, with Kravchenko's deputy Maksym Krym now handling management functions at the Prosecutor General's Office 3. The move follows Kravchenko's September 7 resignation amid a NABU/SAPO investigation under Operation Carthage into alleged protection of fraudulent call centers 14. Kravchenko departed Ukraine by official vehicle for Paris on September 13-14, two days after his wife left via Moldova, and was not listed among speakers at the PACE hearing he cited as his reason for travel 23. Before the vote, Kravchenko signed a notice of suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and publicly disputed the legitimacy of his removal, calling it the product of political pressure rather than parliamentary judgment 2. Zelenskyy signed a law on September 16 imposing prison terms of up to 12 years for organizers of scam call centers, passed by at least 313 lawmakers 5.

Analysis
Kravchenko's dismissal ends his capacity to direct further notices against NABU or SAPO personnel, but his departure to France before any charge was served leaves the underlying corruption case without its principal defendant in Ukrainian custody. NABU and SAPO are unlikely to secure a formal notice of suspicion or charges against him by November 15, 2026, given his location outside Ukraine and the absence of an extradition request to date. Low confidence reflects the case's early stage and reliance on open-source reporting with no visibility into NABU's internal case-file timeline. Deputy Maksym Krym's interim leadership, and his own family's disclosed Russian-passport ties, add a fresh vetting question to the succession process.

5 sources

Verkhovna Rada dismisses Prosecutor General Kravchenko - Interfax-Ukraine
Verkhovna Rada dismisses Prosecutor General Kravchenko with 317 votes - NV (Novoye Vremya)
Zelenskyy dismisses Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko - Ukrainska Pravda
Ukraine parliament dismisses Prosecutor General amid corruption scandal - TVP World
Zelensky Signs New Scam Call Center Law Carrying Up to 12 Years in Prison - Kyiv Post