NABU: Ex-Prosecutor General Kravchenko's statement aimed at securing protection in country of residence

Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko's recent claim that Defense Ministry Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) servicemen detained in Austria intended to carry out violent acts against him is an attempt to secure protection within his country of residence, stated the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). NABU and the Spanish National Prosecution Authority (SAPO) view Kravchenko's statement, made following his abrupt departure from Ukraine after the completion of Operation Carthage, as an effort to gain personal protection.

NABU emphasized that Kravchenko's assertions regarding the involvement of NABU and SAPO in these alleged events do not align with the truth.

Earlier, Kravchenko posted on his Telegram channel that the recently detained GUR servicemen from the Artan unit were reportedly planning to commit illegal violent acts against him. These servicemen, Viktor Torkotiuk and one former NABU employee, were apprehended in Austria. Kravchenko's statement alleges that back in September, he received information that a group of individuals was sent after him to commit illegal violent acts, with leaders from NABU and SAPO allegedly requesting their deployment.

NABU and SAPO revealed that five members of a criminal organization, led by a Prosecutor General's Office official, were exposed through Operation Carthage. The group systematically received illicit gains for concealing a network of fraudulent call centers and laundered over UAH 42 million in real estate, valuables, and funds placed in relatives' accounts.

Kravchenko submitted a letter of resignation amid the scandal, which was subsequently suspended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on September 15. Following Kravchenko's resignation, wiretap materials indicated that Serhiy Kropyva, a deputy head of the International Cooperation Department of the Prosecutor General's Office, served as his confidant, coordinating household matters and renovations at his residence.

Kravchenko has not been formally charged with any suspicion, but after resigning, he also filed a complaint against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos, who dismissed such claims as part of a systematic attack on independent anti-corruption bodies. In response to Kravchenko's departure, the Prosecutor General's Office stated that no suspicion existed as of September 14.

Kravchenko later declared he had left Ukraine as part of an official business trip, although unverified reports suggest he and his wife might be seeking asylum in Vienna, Austria, by negotiating with local law firms. As of October, acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky reported that an internal investigation into Kravchenko's departure was underway, scrutinizing the circumstances surrounding his authorization to travel abroad.

So far, eight individuals connected to Operation Carthage have been dismissed from the prosecution service.