President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ruslan Kravchenko must step down from his post as Prosecutor General, and called on the Verkhovna Rada to support his dismissal without delay. The President’s statement came on 14 September, shortly after Kravchenko announced that a notice of suspicion had been signed against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and claimed he was under political pressure. Kravchenko himself had submitted his resignation on 7 September amid the «Carthage» operation carried out by NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
- Zelenskyy called for Ruslan Kravchenko to be released immediately.
- The President asked the Verkhovna Rada to approve the dismissal.
- Kravchenko submitted his resignation on 7 September.
- The resignation came against the backdrop of the «Carthage» operation carried out by the NABU and the SAP.
Zelenskyy: The Prosecutor General has only one option left
The President issued a strong statement on the morning of 14 September. According to him, the question of whether Ruslan Kravchenko will remain in office has already been decided.
«There is only one course of action for this Prosecutor General: dismissal from office. That is exactly what I told him. Ukraine has seen all the reasons. If he considers this to be political pressure, let him call it that. I ask Members of Parliament to support this dismissal without delay,» said Zelenskyy.
In this way, the President effectively appealed directly to the parliamentary majority, urging them not to delay the vote.
The statement was made following allegations against the director of NABU
Political tensions escalated sharply that very morning following statements Ruslana Kravchenko on the fact that he signed a notice of suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos.
Kravchenko also claimed that the President had previously prevented him from taking such a step. It was following this that Zelenskyy issued a statement calling for the immediate dismissal of the Prosecutor General.
Consequently, the conflict between the leadership of the Office of the Prosecutor General and the anti-corruption bodies, which has been ongoing for the past few weeks, has now escalated into a direct public confrontation.
Kravchenko resigned as early as 7 September
Ruslan Kravchenko announced his resignation this evening 7 September.
At the time, he described the decision as political and stated that he did not want the post of Attorney General to be used as a tool in political confrontation.
Prior to that, Kravchenko had met with Zelensky and leader of the «Servant of the People» parliamentary group» David Arahamia. According to sources at «Ukrainska Pravda», the decision regarding his continued tenure in office was to be taken following this conversation.
Not long before that, Kravchenko had publicly stated that he had no plans to resign voluntarily.
Operation «Carthage» was the cause of the political crisis»
The Attorney General’s resignation came against the backdrop of a large-scale investigation NABU and SAP under the name «Carthage».
On 5 September, the anti-corruption authorities announced that they had uncovered a criminal organisation which, according to the investigation, was headed by one of the heads of a department within the Office of the Prosecutor General.
The NABU claims that those involved in the scheme systematically received undue benefits from fraudulent call centres in exchange for not interfering with their operations, and also laundered assets worth millions.
According to the investigation, the criminal organisation was set up as early as mid-2025, and current staff members of the public prosecutor’s office and their associates were drawn into its activities.
It was following the publication of the articles in *Carthage* that a heated political debate broke out concerning the leadership of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
A single statement from Kravchenko is not enough to secure his dismissal
Despite having submitted his resignation, Kravchenko formally remains in office as Attorney General until the procedure laid down by law has been completed.
Under the Law «On the Public Prosecutor’s Office», The President submits a written request to the Verkhovna Rada seeking consent to dismiss the Prosecutor General. His powers shall cease from the moment the relevant parliamentary resolution comes into force.
As early as 9 September, sources at «Ukrainska Pravda» reported that Kravchenko’s resignation letter had not yet been received by the Verkhovna Rada.
The conflict between the NABU and the Office of the Prosecutor General has escalated sharply
The events of 14 September effectively brought together two high-profile stories at once.
On the one hand, the NABU and the SAP are investigating a suspected criminal organisation within the Office of the Prosecutor General. On the other hand, Kravchenko himself, ahead of his expected dismissal, signed a notice of suspicion against the head of the NABU.
Following this, Zelenskyy made it publicly clear that there would be no change in his stance regarding the Prosecutor General: Kravchenko must step down, and the Verkhovna Rada must formalise this decision without delay.
The next two steps will now be crucial — the official presidential proposal and the parliamentary vote.
