Disgraced prosecutor’s attack on anti-corruption agencies could spark political crisis in Ukraine

Ukraine could face a deep political crisis after disgraced Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced retaliatory charges on September 14 against the head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), Semen Kryvonos, as well as a “close associate” of the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), Oleksandr Klymenko.

Analysts warn that Kravchenko’s move could turn into a major political crisis if it becomes a full-scale blow against the country’s anti-corruption institutions.

The charges were announced shortly after Kravchenko was forced to resign, amid a large-scale corruption investigation by NABU and SAPO that swept the Prosecutor General’s Office earlier this month. A senior prosecutor, described as a close associate of Kravchenko, was formally charged, while the prosecutor general’s personal office was searched by investigators.

Kryvonos said at a press conference on September 14 that he had seen no charges against him and had not been officially served with any, calling Kravchenko’s charges fabricated.

In a strange twist, Kravchenko left Ukraine early on September 14, simultaneously with the announcement of the charges, on the pretext of an official trip to a conference in Paris. However, the organizers told the Kyiv Independent that they had not expected his participation, strengthening suspicions that the trip was simply a cover to leave the country in an attempt to escape possible charges.

Also on September 14, President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree suspending Kravchenko from office and submitted a request to parliament for his dismissal. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the prosecutor general’s dismissal on September 15.

Observers describe the charges as direct retaliation against the anti-corruption agencies. “I believe there are signs that Kravchenko abused his office,” liberal opposition deputy from the Holos party Yaroslav Yurchyshyn told the Kyiv Independent. This is not Kravchenko’s first confrontation with NABU and SAPO: he played a key role in the authorities’ infamous attack on the two agencies in July 2025, when Zelensky and parliament attempted to eliminate the agencies’ independence by subordinating them to the prosecutor general. Independence was quickly restored following protests and Western pressure.

Source: Kyiv Independent