Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Resigns After Being Linked to Call-Scam Networks

Ukraine's prosecutor general, Ruslan Kravchenko, has resigned after recordings made by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, or NABU, mentioned him during an investigation into alleged criminal networks running multimillion-euro telephone scams.

“I do not want the position of prosecutor general to be used as an instrument of political confrontation,” Kravchenko said in explaining his decision. He had previously faced criticism in Ukraine over an alleged excessive alignment with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's administration, which appoints the prosecutor general.

In the recordings, some suspects referred to “the boss,” a person allegedly providing protection to call centers operating in Ukraine. The centers are accused of defrauding vulnerable people in Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Russian-speaking countries in Central Asia and European Union states. NABU has indicated that Kravchenko was the person being referred to, according to the report.

Days before Kravchenko's resignation, NABU arrested Serhii Kropyva, deputy head of the prosecutor's office's international cooperation department, over alleged involvement in the corruption scheme. Kropyva is suspected of laundering as much as 2 billion euros.

The call centers reportedly attract victims with supposed business opportunities, sometimes involving cryptocurrency or fictional products. Operators may also pose as bank or security-service employees and request personal data under the pretext of protecting victims. Ukrainian media have described the activity as a diplomatic problem because European countries supporting Kyiv are among the targets. After the scandal involving senior prosecution officials emerged, Zelenskyy submitted two bills to parliament aimed at addressing the criminal activity.

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I do not want the position of prosecutor general to be used as an instrument of political confrontation.