Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has failed to return to work at the Office of the General Prosecutor of Ukraine after an official trip abroad.
Spokeswoman Mariana Gaiovska confirmed that Kravchenko was required to report back to the prosecutor's office by September 18. As of 2:00 p.m. on September 21, he had not arrived at work.
Gaiovska explained that while Kravchenko lost his administrative post as prosecutor general, he remains employed as a prosecutor within the agency. She added that officials do not have information regarding whether Kravchenko has returned to Ukraine or where he is currently located.
The Office of the General Prosecutor serves as Ukraine's central prosecution authority, overseeing legal proceedings and law enforcement compliance across the country. Kravchenko had held the top executive post at the agency until his recent parliamentary removal.
Absence from office and social media inactivity
Before his disappearance from the office, Kravchenko was active on social media platforms, including Facebook and Telegram, on September 14 and September 15. During those days, he publicly stated that he was conducting an official business trip outside the country. However, he has not published any posts since September 15.
Kravchenko had personally authorized his own five-day official assignment to Paris, France, beginning on September 13, 2026. He stated that the trip was intended to allow him to attend a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is an international parliamentary body that brings together lawmakers from across Europe to debate issues relating to human rights, democracy, and legal standards.
Allegations against anti-corruption officials
While abroad on September 14, Kravchenko announced on social media that he had signed formal notices of suspicion against Semen Kryvonos, the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. Kravchenko stated that evidence supported suspicions against Kryvonos involving the forgery of official documents, the acceptance of unusually large unlawful financial benefits, and a fictitious adoption scheme intended to avoid court liability.
Kravchenko also announced a second notice of suspicion targeting an individual close to the leadership of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. He alleged that the person had attempted to influence judges at the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine, offered bribes to judicial officers, and assisted individuals in evading military mobilization.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office form the core of the country's independent anti-corruption architecture, tasked with investigating and prosecuting high-level official bribery. Cases brought by these agencies are tried before the High Anti-Corruption Court, a specialized judicial body created to adjudicate major corruption offences.
Resignation and Operation Carthage
Kravchenko's departure and resignation followed revelations linked to a major law enforcement operation code-named Operation Carthage. On September 5, anti-corruption authorities published audio recordings detailing a criminal network created by the head of a structural department inside the Office of the General Prosecutor.
Investigators stated that the syndicate was established in mid-2025 by active prosecution personnel and associated individuals. Law enforcement authorities reported that the group collected bribes in exchange for protecting fraudulent call centres that targeted both Ukrainian citizens and foreign victims.
The investigation led to the detention of Serhiy Kropyva, deputy head of the Department of International Legal Cooperation at the Office of the General Prosecutor, alongside several other suspects. Intercepted recordings revealed Kropyva referring to an individual named as the boss, whose patronymic matches that of Kravchenko, raising questions about potential executive involvement.
Following the exposure of the network, Kravchenko announced his resignation on September 7. On September 15, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's national parliament, formally approved a resolution granting consent for the president to dismiss Kravchenko from his post as prosecutor general, with 317 lawmakers voting in favour of the measure.
